The Aftermath
by CharmingChick333
Summary: Timeline for this falls towards the end of the Avengers, after the infamous ragdoll scene between Hulk and Loki. This is the first fanfiction I've written in a looong time, I'd love to receive feedback and comments, positive and negative! I will eventually be introducing an OC, and I even have an actor that I will note later on! There will be no slash in this story! R&R Please :)
1. Chapter 1 Aftermath

Title: The Aftermath

Authors Note: SPOILER ALERT for those who have not yet seen the Avengers or the end credits scene of the Avengers!

This is the first fan fiction I have written in a really long time, I'd love to receive feedback and comments, positive and negative! Constructive criticism is always the best! I will eventually be introducing an OC, and I even have an actor that I will note later on… He will not come into the story for awhile though. He will be part of the Asgardian universe.

Timeline for this falls towards the end of the Avengers, after the infamous ragdoll scene between Hulk and Loki.

Loki couldn't tell how long had passed since the beast had thrown him to the ground. He could hear the battle waging outside of Stark tower, but he was unable to move.

For what felt like an eternity he sat, staring into the ceiling. He could barely breathe, let alone get up. His chest burned, his head pounded, and the room was spinning.

Eventually he began to regain the feeling in his limbs and managed to sit up. This is when he realized that all the sound from outside had stopped. He no longer heard fighting and began to sense that he was not alone. As he turned around, he met up with the tip of Hawkeye's arrow. He looked up to see the Avengers in the flesh.

He watched helplessly as the Avengers moved closer, blocking any opportunity for a hasty exit. He thought about trying to use his magic, but the blow to the head proved too much. He could barely see straight let alone multiply or teleport.

"If it's all the same to you, I think I'll have that drink now," he croaked at Tony Stark, mimicking the conversation that had happened before.

Tony laughed. "That drink," he said and walked over to what remained of his bar area. "That drink, has been destroyed." He said and laughed. "But this one hasn't," he said as he poured himself a shot of scotch. "Cap? Hulk? Thor? Hell, Natasha? Let's have a party," he said as he passed the bottle to Captain America.

"Really Tony?" Cap said as if he was talking to a child. Cap passed the bottle to Hulk who in trying to take it broke it. "Hulk thirsty," he said looking down at the bottle.

Loki began to laugh; but stopped after realizing that laughing was painful "Loki, you will return to Asgard to face capital punishment in Asgardian prison," Thor exclaimed. "Do you have anything to say for your actions?"

Before Loki could answer, Jarvis interrupted the conversation.

"Sir, I have agent Nick Fury on the line, he is insisting you take the call,"

"Take a message Jarvis," Stark said as he stepped outside to remove the remnants of his suit. As he walked through the device that removed the charred armor, Nick Fury's voice came through the speakers.

"I know you didn't just try to drop my call," Fury barked out.

"And I know you didn't just lie about trying to make weapons out of the tesserect,"

"Those weapons were made as a defen-"

"Yeah Yeah… defense, blah blah earth in peril, blah blah… They were very helpful," Stark interrupted sarcastically. "As fun as this has been, we're hungry… so I'll talk to ya later, " he added, reaching to end the call with Fury.

"What the hell?" Fury replied. "I know you weren't about to blow me off to get dinner! We still need to discuss the issue of Loki,"

"Rock of ages is going back with Shakespeare to their … what do you folk call it, realm?" Stark quipped.

"He still should face punishment for his crimes on earth; SHIELD will be over to collect him shortly."

Loki rolled his eyes at the mention of his 'crime,' and the idea of facing Earthly punishment, or having to deal with more of Nick Fury's "SHIELD."

"Man of metal, do you think it smart to leave my brother with the Fury of Director?" Thor asked looking over at Loki.

"Yeah, I don't know if that's a good idea," Captain America added warily.

"It's either that or take him with us, which would you prefer?" he asked sarcastically. "Just tell Shield to 'babysit' him here, Jarvis will secure the building… or what's left of it. He's not going anywhere."

Hawkeye entered the conversation from his perch on a ledge above the other Avengers. "I say leave him here with Shield. From what I've seen, he will be secure here," he added, looking to Natasha for support. "I'm hungry."

"Yeah at this point he's too weak to do anything, and he is without his scepter." She added, as she placed a hand over her stomach to quiet it's growling.

"Well then it's settled, we'll just wait for the babysitter, and then it's time for Schwarma." Stark declared. "Besides, they won't allow animals in the restaurant… It's not a pet shop Thor, If you even know what that is…"

Thor glared at Tony, taking insult at his remark. He in fact had seen a pet shop with Jane in New Mexico. Thinking of Jane made his heart ache. His eyes glazed over a bit as he thought of her.

"Missing your earthling?" Loki asked snarkily, taking notice to the lost look in Thor's eyes.

"Jane is not of your concern," Thor snapped back as he came back to reality.

Thinking of that pet shop got his mind working. He remembered pets in that store being caged and at bay. "Do the animals in your world wear… things to bind the mouth? Or sit in boxes to keep them contained?" Thor asked, awkwardly as he fumbled for the right words.

"A muzzle?" Captain asked innocently.

"Or a crate," Clint added jokingly. "that would be a site to see…" he laughed.

"Great idea," Tony exclaimed as he studied Loki. "But how to create one that will resist Loki's magic… " Tony trailed off as if already thinking about how to create such a device.

Thor reached for Mjolnir and pointed it at Loki.

"What do you think you'r—"Loki began, but was unable to finish. He felt his mouth becoming stiff and being covered by something metal. He could no longer speak. He placed his fingers over his mouth and felt a metal piece, forbidding him to speak. Chains also bound his ankles together, preventing him from moving freely. He glared up at the Avengers, already planning his revenge…

~*~ Insert schwarma scene from movie ~*~

"Better than I expected," Steve said as he stood up from the table.

"It was alright," Stark mumbled as he reached for his wallet. He flipped past his credit cards and pulled out a wad of bills. He dropped a 100 dollar bill on the table and turned to Bruce who was also reaching for his wallet. "I got this," he said and patted the man's arm to stop him.

"Nah, it's –" Bruce began, but then stopped. "I just… umm… I feel bad," he said motioning to the rubble all around the shop. He ran his fingers through his hair sheepishly and added a few more smaller bills to the 100 Tony had put down for the food.

Hawkeye and Natasha still remained seated, intimately talking about something. Natasha's legs were propped up onto Hawkeye's lap, and his arm was around her waist. The two of them had not noticed that the other avengers had stood up and were getting ready to leave.

"Umm guys, are you coming?" Captain asked looking back at Natasha and Clint.

"Yeah," Natasha replied coolly, standing up and brushing off the crumbs Clint had got on her legs.

Clint stood up and crossed his arms. He tried to act manly as if the men had not seen his interactions with Natasha. He knew they did, as his cheeks were growing rosier by the minute.

"Woman of Schwarma, how may I go about taking food for my brother?" Thor asked as the waitress arrived at the table to collect their plates.

The waitress looked at Thor, a confused look upon her face.

"He wants a box," Tony said, rolling his eyes at Thor's use of old English. "I say we let Loki starve," he added as he put on his sunglasses.

"You know not the relationship between two brothers," Thor began, his eyes glazing over. "Loki was not always this way," he continued.

"Speaking of Loki, you are taking him back, correct?" Clint asked.

"Yes. Loki will return to face Asgardian justice tomorrow morning. We will be taking the tesserect as well." He said as he took the box of leftovers from the waitress.

"Thank you ma'am," Captain added and gave a salute to the waitress as he and the others left the restaurant.

With all the attention from the battle, getting around the city had proven to be a challenge. While Thor had returned to Asgard to discuss Loki's punishment with his father, the other Avengers felt that they should try to help rebuild portions of the city damaged during the rampage.

Tony had decided to help people clean up the rubble and was currently flying around in his suit. Bruce was helping at the various shelters that were set up all across the city. He was triaging patients and tending to the wounded. Natasha and Clint had returned to Shield headquarters to begin the laborious task of logging the events of the past few days.

While the others had hands on jobs helping citizens of New York City, Captain America was stuck with the most important job of all… babysitting duty. Cap had been eager to go out and help people, but everyone figured he'd be the best at handling Loki as he had a high level of understanding and patience.

He paced back and forth outside of Loki's cell, glancing over to check on his captor from time to time. He was waiting to hear back from Tony as to how long he would be on this duty and what time the others would be back. He was getting hungry…

Fin for now… chapter two will be more about Loki and what's going on in his head. And chapter 3 will probably bring the introduction of the new character.


	2. Chapter 2 Nightmares

**Title:** Nightmares

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Avengers; they belong to Marvel of course… I will say, I quoted some scenes from the Avengers in this story; they are not mine. They belong to Marvel/Disney and are the brilliant creations of Joss Whedon and the other writers etc. Just used them to illustrate some things going on with the story.

**Author's Note:** I am having a really hard time with this … I wanted to get further along in this chapter… OC will probably be introduced in the next chapter… Maybe I will give you a hint towards the end of the story? ;]

**I would love it so much if you guys could leave any reviews or +/- feedback**… I am trying to write this to be kind of like a movie or show, switching between characters/locations. What do you think so far?

Loki now inhabited the area of Stark Tower created to emulate his California Lab. He was enclosed in a glass chamber with a cot, a couch and magazines from Shield. He was lying on his cot, hands behind his head staring off into space. He couldn't seem to relax, and being caged up made it ten times worse. His only sense of satisfaction came when the mortals removed the muzzle that his idiot of a brother had placed over his mouth.

Loki felt like his body was shaking. His muscles were so tense he was sure they would snap at any moment. He just hoped the humans could not read his mind or sense his anxiety. For the entire evening, Captain America had been in and out of the cell, keeping an eye on him. It made his blood boil. It seemed as though he visited Loki every fifteen minutes, all to check on him. Loki rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. His fourth check-in was coming up within the next few minutes. The Captain's clockwork habits were quite annoying.

Captain America sat in Stark's lab, unable to concentrate. The events of the past few days were too much to handle. He was so upset, but was unable to express his feelings. Not only was he as Loki had said a "man out of time", but he was also a man alone. He knew taking his frustrations out on punching bags was growing costly, especially to his knuckles. He was so lost in thought that he did not hear the elevator doors opening or the footsteps coming up behind him.

"Where is Tony?" A voice from behind asked, worry and concern evident in its inflection.

Captain America almost fell off his chair. He jumped up and spun around to see a beautiful woman standing before him. "He is –" Captain America began, losing his breath momentarily. "Hi- I'm Steve," he said sheepishly sticking out his hand.

"Pepper," she replied, shaking his hand. "Where is Tony?"

"He is helping clean up the city, Ms. Potts," Jarvis answered.

"Is he-" Pepper began.

"He's fine, he gave us quite a scare though," Cap said placing an arm comfortingly on Pepper's shoulder.

"Yeah, he's known for that," She said finally able to relax.  
"How long have you been here?" She asked sitting down next to him on the couch.

"It's been a few hours I guess… Kind of lost track of time."

"Have you eaten anything yet?" Pepper asked, also standing up.

"Not since earlier," Steve admitted, rubbing his stomach. "I've been on babysitting duty… Loki's down in the lab… Shield is holding him here."

"Can I make you anything?" Pepper asked. "I cook all the meals for Mr.- Tony…" she explained as she pulled her hair into a ponytail.

"Oh anything is fine," Cap explained. "I don't want to put you out. I do have to check on Loki though, the Shield agents will be switching shifts soon."

"Has Loki eaten?" She asked awkwardly, not knowing how super villains prefer their food.

"We tried to get him to eat earlier but he refused. You're welcome to try…" Steve said.

Pepper retreated down to the kitchen area to see what kind of food Tony had. While parts of Stark tower had been severely damaged, the kitchen remained intact. She opened the fridge slowly, praying that Tony had actually bought groceries prior to the attack.

_It is kind of late, but … kind of early, at the same time… _She thought to herself as she rummaged through the fridge. At first it appeared that the fridge was almost empty, but tucked in a back drawer she was able to find enough eggs, bacon, and fresh bread to make breakfast for everyone.

"Your captain is late," Loki scoffed.

"I didn't realize there was a schedule," Captain America replied entering the room as if on cue. "But I'm glad you missed me."

"Umm not exactly,"

Captain America rolled his eyes slightly at Loki's response. He turned his attention to the Shield agent standing nearby. "You can take a break now." He said and waved to the guard.

The guard silently left the room, leaving Loki and the Captain to their thoughts.

"You know, I easily could have won the battle if not for that monster," he said fiercely.  
"I'm sure," Captain said nonchalantly.

"Who are you kidding?" Tony sassed as he entered the room.

"Mr. Stark," Captain began, turning to face the other man. "Pepper was looking for you. I think she's making food up in the kitchen…"

"Good to know, you heading up there?" Tony motioned towards the door.

"The guard's on break," Cap replied warily.

"No, new guards just started," Tony explained.

As if on cue, two shield agents entered the room, ready to begin their day shift.

The two men gave the shield agents a nod and left the room leaving Loki behind.

"So what kind of food is Pepper making? She better not have used up the stuff in the fridge," He said, more to himself than to Steve.

"I'm not sure… I told her I didn't care…"

The elevator doors opened to the kitchen and Stark walked in to see Pepper preparing a full-scale breakfast.

"I made us breakfast," she began. "There was barely any food in your kitchen, but I found eggs, bread, potatoes and ba-"

"You made the bacon?' Tony almost screamed. Both Pepper and Captain were taken aback by his outburst.

"Damn it… I- I was saving that bacon!" he almost screamed, slamming a fist onto the table.

"For what Tony, You're the one who never buys any food… Don't blame me. I made enough for everyone, and it's almost ready.

"Well, I can't stay… I came back to get Cap… Bruce needs ya' out there on the front lines." Stark explained.

"I'll take the food to go then, ma'am," Captain said politely. "Just let me get my shield and we'll be on our –"

"Here ya' go." Pepper said politely and handed Steve three to-go containers. "One for you, Tony, and Bruce."

"Thanks," Cap replied with a smile, blushing slightly as he took the boxes.

Tony smiled at Pepper and stroked her arm softly before leaving the room. He hated leaving her behind, but there was a lot to do out in the city.

Punch. – A fist made contact with Loki's face. The force of the blow stung his already raw cheek.

Kick. – A boot hit him in the ribs, knocking the wind out of him, leaving him unable to move.

Two shield agents began the beating; Loki was getting the crap kicked out of him by two mortals. One assailant grabbed him by the throat and threw him up against the wall. His body landed with a dull thud. Loki could barely breathe. He had merely made a comment stating his feelings about the intelligence level of Nick Fury and found himself on the receiving end of an attack.

While he tried to roll out of the way, the restraints around his legs made escaping almost impossible. Shield agents had managed to render him helpless. He felt disgusting and weak. The blows kept coming.

He eventually rolled onto his side, pulling himself into the fetal position to escape the punches that were coming at him.

"That'll teach you." One of the guards exclaimed, spitting in Loki's direction. "It will teach you to kneel."

Loki coughed, spitting up blood, and tried to steady himself on his hands and knees.

"What's going on here?" A voice came from the door of the cell. A horrified Pepper stood in the doorway with a tray of food.

"He was trying to escape," the one guard said, dumbfounded at the sight of Pepper.

Loki laughed softly at the stupid look on the guard's face. This woman had truly caught him off guard. "So you must be the infamous Pepper Pots." He said spitting out another mouthful of blood.

"I am." Pepper replied coolly, placing the tray down on Loki's cot.

From the tray she had brought to Loki's cell, she took a napkin and dipped it in the glass of water meant for Loki. She used it to dab at the blood oozing from a fresh wound on the side of his face.

"I can do that myself!" he snapped, ripping the towel from Pepper's hand. "The last thing I need is you mortals trying to cure me."

Pepper looked down at him and wasn't sure what to do. It felt wrong to leave him there to get his clock cleaned, but she wasn't about to let him walk freely.

"I brought food," she explained, motioning towards the tray. "You should eat…"

She turned to the other agents, turning her back on Loki. "There is more food upstairs if you're hungry," she began. "I ca-" the guards cut her off.

"I cannot leave you alone with him," the man began. "But the food does look good…."

"Jarvis will alert you if something happens," Pepper explained as she ushered the guard out of the room. "It's in the kitchen on the 2nd floor. Jarvis will direct you."

Loki watched as Pepper sweet-talked the guard. He couldn't help but notice her willing-ness to help him. He had just tried to take over the world and she was actually being nice to him. He felt this would be a good opportunity to find a way out of the cell. If he were nice enough, perhaps she would let him out.

"Now back to you," she began, eying Loki suspiciously. "I have a feeling you're probably pretty hungry…. You should probably eat something," she said as she pushed the tray over to Loki. He had finally managed to clean himself up.

Loki stared blankly at the food placed in front of him. He knew that Pepper had made him bacon and eggs, but he didn't trust it. "I'm not hungry," he replied, his words short and with feeling. At that moment his stomach growled, making it apparent to Pepper that he was lying.

"Mmmhmm," she replied, a smile forming on her lips. "Well, if you're not going to eat, then I will," she exclaimed as she ate a piece of bacon f rom Loki's plate.

After watching her eat the bacon and live, Loki took a piece. He bit down on it and began to chew. He hadn't realized how hungry he was. Now that he thought about it, it had been at least four or five days since he had last eaten. His stomach growled again, reaffirming his decision to eat. Within a few minutes he had cleared off the plate and drank the remaining water. He put the tray back onto the floor.

"It's all a lie," he mumbled absently.

"What's a lie?" Pepper asked, taking a seat on the floor.

"Everything," Loki snickered, a smile forming across his thin lips.

"You lie, they lie, I lie... everyone lies. It's the nature of humanity, one big lie. You all think you're so much better than me... but you're not, and deep down you know it." Loki sneered.

"It's not about knowing you are better or worse than anyone else," Pepper began, becoming lost in thought.

Something about Loki's statement struck a nerve with her. She remembered the lies that had caused Tony to become Iron Man, as well as the lies that had caused Ivan Vankov to attack New York. Lies drove people to do crazy things... if anyone knew that, she did.

"While I agree that everyone lies, everyone who is lied to does not reek havoc on large cities in attempt to rule the world… People lie with good intentions sometimes," Pepper explained.

"Does anyone ever have good intentions?" Loki asked sarcastically.

As much as he was trying to put up a front, Pepper could see the hurt in his eyes. Before she could say anything he stood up. "I am going to sleep now. Please go." he said and motioned for her to leave.

"As you wish." Pepper said as she left with Loki's dishes.

"Father, what will we do-"  
"Silence." Odin exclaimed at Thor's outburst.  
"But-" Thor began, but stopped himself, not wanting to disrespect the Alfather.  
"You know not what you ask of me," Odin began. "He must be punished."  
"His mind father... he is ... he knows not what he is doing."  
"I must do something. Loki must be punished." Odin exclaimed.  
"How is he?" Frigga asked quietly, making her presence known.  
"He is being held on Earth mother,"  
Frigga sighed heavily. She missed her son and was worried for his safety. She went over to a mirror kept in the back of their study and used her magic. With it, she could see her son in his prison cell on Earth. From what she saw, it looked as though his sleep was not peaceful.  
"He sleeps, but with great discomfort" she said quietly watching Loki's chest rise and fall. She could see an expression of pain on his face and paired with the tossing and turning she feared her son was going through something terrible.  
"I will meet with the Asgardian justices tomorrow Thor, Loki's fate will be decided. You will bring him home." Odin looked at Thor and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I am counting on you, the future King of Asgard." he exclaimed.  
"Yes father." Thor replied taking a knee in front of Odin. "I will leave at once." He replied after bowing in allegiance to the King.

"No, no. I am not-" Loki jolted awake, sweat dripping from his forehead.

"It was a dream," he consoled himself quietly as he rocked back and forth. His skin felt hot, clothing damp from sweating. He ran a finger through his now wet hair and pressed his back against the cool stonewall behind him. He closed his eyes again, a wave of nausea hitting him.

"I thought you might like this," Pepper said quietly, stepping out of the shadows. Loki looked up, his cheeks blushing slightly at the humiliation of the woman seeing him in this condition. Not wanting to have to talk to her, he stretched back onto the bed and turned away from the woman.

She sat down on the cot next to him and placed a cool cloth on his face. "This will help." She said quietly. "Tony has bad dreams sometimes… "

"I bet he does," Loki mumbled sarcastically, covering his face with the cloth.

As he closed his eyes, his, dream began to come back to him. He remembered falling from the Bifrost, the sound of Thor's cries, and the look on Odin Alfather's face. He opened his eyes, trying desperately to get the image out of his head. He was tired of the nightmares, tired of being forced to remember the events that had caused him to try to conquer the world to become King.

When he let go of Odin's scepter, he figured that he would either die alone between the realms, or be rescued by Thor and Odin. He silently prayed for death as he fell into the abyss. What ended up happening was a fate far worse.

He was found half dead by the Chitauri and taken to their planet. Once there, they began to torture him. Not only was he abused physically, but also mentally. Slowly the Chitauri worked to push him over the edge. They tested his endurance by limiting food, water, and sleep.

When he was able to rest, Loki constantly had nightmares. In every dream the creatures twisted his memories, making it impossible for him to tell what was real. They fed on his insecurities and turned his feelings of sadness and jealousy to rage. Despite being away from the Chitauri, the nightmares had not stopped. If anything they had gotten worse. He constantly had vivid dreams, reliving the torture he experienced by the Chitauri, or worse dreams about being tortured by his family.

"Loki," Pepper was now standing over him, waving her hands in front of his face. He flinched, realizing that she had been trying to talk to him.

"What do you want?" He said snappily as he sat up. "Can't you see I am trying to rest?"

"I just wanted to give you something to help you sleep, maybe help stop the nightmares," Pepper began, opening a box of sleeping pills. "Take two of these, they should help." She said handing him the pills.

Loki eyed her suspiciously. "My whole life is a nightmare…" he said quietly taking the pills. "All I am is another relic." He said quietly lying back onto the bed.

"Your brother seems to care a lot about you, he just returned from Asgard and was asking about you…" Pepper said, trying to reassure him.

"I don't have a brother." Loki said firmly, his eyes slowly becoming heavy as he slipped into sleep.

This time he dreamt of the battle between the Chitauri, himself, and the Avengers. He was reliving a memory.

"Look at this, look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule?" Thor screamed, eyes pleading with Loki.

"It's too late. It's too late to stop it," Loki replied, a conflicted look on his face.

"No, we can, together," Thor said placing his arms supportively onto Loki's shoulders, his eyes wet with tears for his brother.

This conversation was a painful memory for Loki. While he would never admit it, deep down he still had love and admiration for his brother. He despite his frustrations and anger with Odin he still craved his family's affection. He wanted so badly to trust Thor and be able to work with him as his equal. While he longed for this, he knew it would never happen. He had so much frustration and rage building inside of him that he snapped. The Chitauri's psychological torture had taken its toll and at that moment Loki was a lost cause. Thor's words were falling on deaf ears.

"Your sentiment," Loki felt himself hiss at Thor, stabbing him violently. It was if he was having an out of body experience. He watched in internal horror as Thor's facial expression changed. Gone was the compassion and the sincerity that lined the thunder god's face.

Thor grumbled angrily as he lunged at Loki, managing to throw him to the ground. Loki remembered taking one last look at Thor before rolling off of the roof. The real Loki secretly hoped he would fall to his death, but the Chitauri knew better.

Thor stood quietly outside of Loki's cell, watching him sleep. Despite Loki's actions, his brother's well being was still his main concern. Loki's behavior worried him. Loki seemed to be having another nightmare. Loki was tossing and turning in his sleep and at one point he had been crying. Thor remembered when the two were children; Loki would have bad dreams often.

Somehow Thor felt that Loki had always known he was different, so to Thor the news of his parentage should not have been a total shock. He could not understand how Loki could throw away the ties to their family so easily. Thor knew Loki had been through a lot since his fall from the Bifrost and all he wanted was to find out what had made his brother snap. To his knowledge, up until his banishment, Loki had been happy for him, and had been accepting of his role as future King of Asgard. Now all of a sudden it seemed as though Loki had been living a double life.

"Nightmares?" Thor asked Pepper as she entered the room.

"He has been having them on and off all night." Pepper said uneasily. "I'm Pepper, Pepper Potts," She explained. "I am Tony's assistant, is there anything I can get you?" She asked.

"No Potts of Pepper, keeping an eye on my brother was very kind of you. I know not what troubles him so, but I am forever grateful that you were there for him." Thor said, placing a hand on Pepper's shoulder. "I wish to help him. But I cannot…" He said, sadness filling his voice, his eyes tearing up slightly.

"You should talk to him. I will give you two some privacy." She said, retreating upstairs to check on the other Avengers.

Thor went into Loki's cell and sat down on the couch. By now, Loki was shaking. Thor could not make out what he was saying, but he was talking in his sleep. He started to become more agitated, tears filling his eyes. Thor placed his hand gingerly on Loki's shoulder to nudge him awake.

Loki mumbled at first, unaware of whom had woken him.

"Loki? Brother, what troubles you?" Thor asked, placing a supportive hand on Loki's shoulder.

"How many times must I tell you? I am not your brother." Loki replied harshly. He secretly wanted to be held, for Thor to tell him things would be ok, but he knew that Thor could no longer and would no longer protect him.

"Loki, I – I only want to do right by you," Thor began, his eyes pleading. "How have I wronged you? I must know. What caused you to do this? I... I am taking you home today, to see mother and father, and our friends. "

Loki felt as though he would be sick. If he kept his feelings buried inside for much longer he thought he would throw them up. To prevent such he thought of the most hurtful thing he could say to Thor. All he wanted was to be left alone. "I have no friends. And as for mother and father… I have no mother and father. I have lived a lie, and I will do so no longer. Do what you must with me, but I will not call you brother or them family." Loki instantly regretted his reply, but there was no going back now.

"How can you say that?" Thor almost exploded. "Do you not remember all the good times we had growing up? Despite your words, I never meant to cast you in the shadows. I always loved and respected you."  
"I have no good memories Thor. But you wouldn't know about that. But someday you will. Someday you will realize what I have gone through. And you will realize why I can not forgive you, Odin, or even Frigga." Loki continued. "Please leave. I will go with you wherever you wish me to go, but as far as any kind of bond you think we share, you are mistaken." Loki rolled away from Thor, fighting the tears that he feared would soon spill.

"Brother …" Thor almost croaked, tears now streaming from his blue eyes. As Loki rolled away from him, he could feel his heart breaking. As if to try one last time to do right by his brother he quietly walked out of the cell.

Loki waited until he could no longer hear Thor's footsteps. Tears fell from his eyes and he cried, harder than he had ever before. He pulled his knees to his chest and slowly fell asleep. He hoped that there would be no more bad dreams.

Fin for now -

SO… in the next chapter I will definitely try to intro the original character… I am in the process of writing. I will be on vacation this week, but I am bringing my laptop, so we'll see what I can get done. =]  
And did anyone catch that lovely I am Legend reference? :) haha...

Also at this time I want to give a shout out to my awesome Beta – my best friend Caitlin has been proofing the story for me… so thanks to her! =D

*Note – she hasn't proofed the last part of this story, so if there are errors, my bad!


	3. Chapter 3 The Departure

Title: The Departure

Disclaimer – I don't own anything…

* * *

As night fell on New York City, the Avengers all had made their way back to Stark tower. They all were surprised to find a weary looking Thor sitting in Tony's living room.

"I have returned my friends," Thor said, smiling slightly.

"How was the trip?" Tony asked as his machines removed his iron suit.

"It went well… I will be taking Loki back to Asgard to face punishment for his crimes. We shall leave at dawn tomorrow." He said matter-of-factly.

"Dawn?" Tony questioned. "Isn't that a little early?" he whined. "What's your pop's gonna do?"

"Father has not yet decided what he shall do with my brother," Thor replied, his eyes glazing over.

Noticing the tension that had crept its way into the space, Pepper interjected. "Well, you guys should all get some sleep! I have readied all the guest rooms, but one of you will have to share," she explained.

Everyone looked at each other, all unsure of which two heroes would be bunking together. Everyone's eyes landed on Natasha and Clint and an awkward silence fell upon the room. "Come on now, you guys have practically been making googly eyes at each other this entire time," stark began, pushing Natasha and Clint closer together.

"I'll share with someone," Cap chimed in, almost too eagerly.

"Yeah... Umm I'll bunk with someone also," Bruce volunteered in an effort to diffuse the tension.

"Well, then I guess it's settled," Natasha said, relief evident in her voice.

"Yeah…" Clint replied, a hint of sadness in his voice. He couldn't help but feel disappointed that he and Natasha would be separated for the night.

"Well, goodnight everybody!" Tony said as he escorted Pepper out of the room. With that, everyone retreated to their rooms.

* * *

It was early morning when Cap awoke. He rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. From his position on the floor he could hear Bruce's heavy breathing, indicating that the man in the bed next to him was still in a deep sleep. He wasn't sure what time it was, but he knew that he hadn't been asleep long.

Being a military man, he was used to sleeping on rough terrain in uncomfortable conditions, so he thought nothing of sleeping on the floor. It was the nightmares that troubled him. He often had dreams about his dealings with Hydra, Red Skull, and the day he lost his best friend on the train.

When he wasn't dreaming about the war, he was dreaming of Peggy. Those dreams were the best and the worst, all at the same time. While he knew that she had married and had children, he longed to have been able to spend more time with her. He yearned for that dance they had promised one another. Cap just wanted to clear his head. He felt as though he was suffocating. He quietly made his way outside to the balcony of Stark tower, being careful not to wake Dr. Banner. His mind was racing. When he stepped outside, the presence of another person startled him.

"Good morning my friend," Thor's loud voice exclaimed, ripping Cap from his thoughts.

"Did you get any sleep?" Cap asked a hint of worry in his voice. Looking at Thor, he could see that the man had obviously not slept a wink since their conversation the night before.

"Not much…" Thor trailed off, his eyes glazing over. "Loki's situation troubles me," Thor admitted, running his fingers through his hair nervously.

"He …" Steve began, not knowing what to say. As much as he hated Loki, he understood why Thor was loyal to the trickster.

"I know that he has committed despicable crimes here on earth and he will be going home to face punishment, but I fear for him. I know not how to reach him or how to make him understand. His mind… he… he is," Thor said, looking down at his hands helplessly.

"Well, just be there," Cap said, giving Thor a small smile.

"Thank you my friend," Thor said quietly, as he retreated inside.

Cap stood there watching Thor walk back inside. He really felt for the guy. As he turned his gaze back to the cityscape, he noticed the sun starting to appear over the horizon. He couldn't help but feel a bit more relaxed standing outside watching the sun rise.

* * *

Clint had tried to sleep; he had taken an Ambien, counted sheep, everything and anything he could think of. It wasn't that he wasn't tired, but he couldn't get his mind off of Loki. He didn't question the security in Stark tower, but he did not feel safe knowing that Loki was in the same building, not under his watchful eye.

Clint sighed heavily, realizing that sleep was not happening for him. He made his way quietly down to Loki's chambers and found the night guard sleeping.

"Typical," he sighed, rolling his eyes at the sight of the sleeping man in front of him. He turned to look in Loki's cell and was surprised at what he saw.

Loki's cuts and bruises from battle were starting to show, and he looked a complete mess. The fallen God was sitting in the corner of his cell, knees to chest. It looked like his head was down, his arms resting on his knees.

"Well, if it isn't sleeping beauty," Clint said, alerting Loki of his presence. He watched as Loki's body tensed, his head rose, and he locked eyes with the archer.

"Well, if it isn't the hawk, " he replied coolly, barely looking at the man in front of his cell.

"See... now if it were up to me," Hawkeye began, his voice full of anger.

"Let me just stop you before you get started," Loki said sarcastically. "We both know you're not going to do anything to me. You and I both know that Thor would kill you; he would kill you for killing me. I'm his beloved 'brother,'" Loki quipped, waving his arms mockingly at the use of the word brother.

"You will get what's coming to you, whether it comes from me, or your father,"

"I have no father. I have no brother. I have no m—" Loki stopped, not quite able to discount his mother. While he loathed his father and brother, he could not bring himself to denounce her. Frigga had been the only person who had ever believed in him, or had ever entrusted anything to him. He could not hate her.

"Well, we have unfinished business." Hawkeye said as he stepped into Loki's cell. He came close to the god, a look of rage in his eyes.

"I thought you had heart," Loki joked, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. What happened next caught him off-guard.

"The next time you underestimate my heart, you won't be this lucky," Hawkeye said, as he grabbed Loki by the throat.

"You think you're so tough, that by killing me you will be resolved of your past," He choked. Loki tried to remain calm, but his eyes betrayed him.

"My past is none of your concern. By killing you, I eliminate any chance you have of escaping whatever punishment awaits you. You say you are a born king, but you are nothing," Hawkeye spat, making sure Loki was still conscious enough to hear him. He could tell by Loki's irregular breathing that he was close to passing out. "If you ever try anything like this again, rest assured even Thor won't be able to save you." He hissed, throwing Loki down onto the ground. "Now we're even." He said as he walked out of Loki's cell.

At this point the night guard was beginning to wake up. "Hello," he said, confusion lining his voice. "Goodnight." Hawkeye replied smoothly, ignoring the dumbfounded look on the guard's face. He quickly looked into Loki's cell and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw him lying on the ground fast asleep.

* * *

Tony awoke early to hear the sounds of someone fumbling downstairs. He silently cursed whoever it was making such a racket. He rolled over and saw that Pepper was still asleep. There weren't many times that he awoke before her, so he stopped and watched her sleep. He smiled at the sight of her, breathing slowly, deep in sleep. He quietly left the room, deciding that he would surprise her with breakfast.

"What the hell is going on here?" He asked as he entered the kitchen. He was shocked to see Cap trying to use the kitchen appliances to make breakfast.

"Oh.. I um.." he began, his face turning a bright shade of red. "I -.. I wanted to,"

"You wanted to mess up my kitchen, and wake everybody up is what it looks like," Tony replied as he picked up a dish towel and swung it over his shoulder. "I wanted some coffee… and I um… don't know how to use the –" He began, embarrassment lining his features.

The look of frustration on Tony's face faded when he realized that Cap simply didn't know how to use the appliances in the kitchen. As much as Cap's sense of leadership annoyed him, he felt a twinge of guilt at chastising him. "The coffee filters are here," Tony began, motioning to a cabinet. And the coffee's in the fridge, but I see you've already found that," he said as he opened up the canister. All you do is put the filter in here," He explained, showing Cap where the filter went into his elaborate coffee maker. Then the grounds go into the filter and you hit the big red button. See?" He asked, trying to smile.

"Seems easy enough," Cap said sheepishly. "I feel silly…"

"No need to feel silly. Can you imagine Thor trying to make coffee?" Tony replied, making both men laugh.

"Did I hear you say coffee?" Thor asked a bright smile on his face.

"It will be ready shortly. " Stark said, patting Thor on the shoulder.

"I will make eggs." Thor said matter-of-factly, as he grabbed one of the frying pans hanging in the kitchen.

"Do you know how to –" Stark began.  
"My friend, we do cook in Asgard. Do you have an open fire?" He asked, honestly thinking that Tony would have a fire pit somewhere in his apartment.

"Get out of here." He replied, grabbing the pan from Thor. "I will make breakfast. You two go for a walk or something." He said and herded them out of the way. "The last thing I need you two doing is burning down what's left of the place."

Tony turned his attention away from Cap and Thor and onto making breakfast. "I guess eggs it is." He said to himself as he began to get out the food.

"Good morning," Pepper exclaimed as she stepped into the kitchen. While she wasn't dressed yet, she still managed to look professional.

"Good morning Ms. Potts," Tony said jokingly as he placed a plate of food in front of her.

"You made breakfast?" She asked, surprised by his gesture. "Are you dying again?" she asked a worried look on her face.  
"No. I make omelets when I'm dying." Stark replied with a laugh.

"Hey breakfast is ready," he called out to Cap and Thor. "Jarvis, get Bruce, Hawkeye, and Natasha down here."

As if on cue, the remaining avengers all entered the kitchen. Hawkeye and Natasha were dressed already in their shield uniforms and Bruce wore a t-shirt and jeans. Cap had changed into his suit and Thor still wore his battle uniform. Mjolnir hung by his side.

Breakfast with the Avengers turned out to be more interesting than Tony had thought. He wasn't sure what all to make, but ended up with bacon, eggs, breakfast potatoes, toast, bagels, and cereal. He was more interested in seeing what each hero would eat when given a variety of options. He knew Pepper liked a standard breakfast of eggs and toast so he had made her a special plate. He watched as Hawkeye and Natasha ate toast and read the paper, while Bruce loaded up on bacon and eggs. Cap helped himself to a bowl of cereal, but Thor… Thor made it interesting. Not only did the guy help himself to a plate of bacon, eggs, and potatoes, but he also had managed to drink three cups of coffee and eat almost half the box of cap's cereal. "Someone's hungry," he joked, noticing Thor's plate.

* * *

Loki opened his eyes slowly, unsure of his surroundings. The last thing he remembered was his conversation with Hawkeye.

"Rise and shine," A voice called to him from across the room.

"What do you want?" he replied, the hoarse-ness of his voice surprising him.

"Sounds like you could use a cup of coffee," Natasha replied as she sipped her cup.

"I have no need for mortal refreshments." Loki replied, not wanting to admit that a drink sounded wonderful.

"Your brother is coming for you soon. You are going home. Too much red on your ledger to keep you here…"

Loki rolled his eyes. "I quiver with fear," he replied, trying to sound tough.

"Well, let's go then," She said as she opened the door to his cell. As he stepped out she went behind him and tightened his cuffs and shackled his ankles. She made it tricky for him by tightening things to the point where walking was possible but not easy. Loki stumbled a bit, until she grabbed him and dragged him out of his cell.

Thor sat in the car waiting for Natasha to bring his brother outside. He knew that when Loki came out he would have to put on a strong front. He could not let Loki manipulate his emotions.

As if reading Thor's mind, Tony addressed his situation. "Just think of how mad you were when I told you to put down your hammer." He joked, trying to make Thor laugh. "We are leaving soon, yes?" Thor asked unfazed by Tony's joke.

"Yeah. As soon as –" Tony stopped, as Natasha and Loki got into the vehicle. "We're leaving now." He said and nodded to the driver. "I'll meet you guys there," Tony said as he walked over to his own car.

Bruce and Tony drove one car, Natasha, Hawkeye, Thor and Loki rode in a van, and Nick Fury and Dr. Selvig rode in yet another with the tesserect. Cap rode ahead, on a motorcycle, clearing the way for the procession of superheroes. When they all arrived at central park, there were people everywhere. They drove past what looked like a massive crowd of people to a clearing that had been blocked off by police. Each Avenger made their exit from the cars and up to a large stage area that would eventually be used as a portal to send Thor and Loki home.

The Avengers all said goodbye to one another and to Thor. Thor led Loki, almost dragging him to the portal. He was stopped by Dr. Selvig and pulled into an embrace. "Goodbye my friend." He said to Selvig as he patted the older man's arm. "Tell Jane.." Thor began, not knowing what exactly to say. "I will." Selvig replied, knowing exactly what to say. He handed Thor the tesserect and explained to both he and Loki what they were to do with it. Thor nodded in acknowledgement and Loki took one last look at the mighty Avengers.

Thor motioned for him to take the other end of the case holding the tesserect and he rolled his eyes. The last thing Loki wanted to do was to go back to Asgard, let alone help Thor take him back. With another nudge, Loki reluctantly took the tesserect. Taking their last looks at Central Park, Thor smiled and Loki glared. He hoped that the look in his eyes was enough to suggest that he would be back. The next time he saw the so called Avengers, they would be begging for mercy. With a slight nod to his friends, Thor turned the tesserect and with that he and Loki were engulfed in a sea of blue light.

* * *

Thor and Loki landed with a thud in the throne room. Thor managed to get up quickly and grabbed Loki by the arm. He led him down a long hallway that ended right in front of Odin's chambers. He motioned for one of the guards to watch Loki while he went in to address the Alfather.

"He is b-" the guard began, becoming quiet as Thor pushed him aside. "Not too busy for me." Thor said, confidently pushing open the door to his father's chambers.

"Who dares enter my chambers without first speaking to the-" Odin stopped, seeing that it was only Thor. "My son. Please wait while I finish with…" Odin trailed off, looking as though he wasn't sure what to say.

Thor was surprised by his father's behavior. Who could be more important than him as far as order in the kingdom of Asgard? He knew that as a future King and son of Odin he had priority over almost anyone in the realm. He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Odin shout his name. Upon re-entering Odin's chambers he was shocked at what he saw. "Father?" He asked, confused by the presence of another young man.

"Ahh yes my son. Have you returned with Loki?" Odin asked, stepping away from the other man in the room.

"Yes, he remains outside of your chambers awaiting further instruction." Thor explained. "Who is-" He began.

The other man in the room now turned to face Thor. He had curly hair and blue eyes, and the more Thor looked at him, the more uncomfortable he got.

"Is this him?" The man asked, motioning to Thor.

"Yes my son." Odin replied. "This is your blood brother." Odin turned to look at Thor. "Thor Odinson, meet Liam Odinson."

* * *

Soooo….. What do you think so far?

And if the name wasn't a hint, my inspiration for this story was to create something to give Liam Hemsworth a role in the Avengers…. Or at least in Thor's world… J

Reviews are always appreciated! Sorry for the delay in this chapter, the next one will hopefully come easier now that I've set up the new character… J Thanks for reading! And props to anyone who has noticed the few movie references I've made throughout the story so far!


	4. Chapter 4 La Vida Loki

Disclaimer: I still don't' own anything : )

Author's Note: This was a short chapter, all about Loki!

Loki sat outside of Odin's chambers, glaring at Odin's guard. The guard stood directly in front of him and returned an uncomfortable stare. Loki could tell his presence put the guard on edge, and while half of him enjoyed it, the other half of him squirmed. Despite his desire for power, control, and dominance, he still felt small and powerless sometimes when in Asgard. He hated that about himself.

Loki closed his eyes, sighing to himself. The muzzle was beginning to become uncomfortable and the way in which Natasha had secured his shackles was beginning to hurt. He tried to reposition himself on the floor of the palace. After shuffling around awkwardly he finally managed to find a comfortable position, lying on the floor, his head in his hands, staring at the ceiling of the palace. He shut his eyes, trying unsuccessfully to turn his mind off. The more Loki thought about the things that were bothering him, the more uncomfortable he felt. He almost felt as though the angrier he became with his current situation, the more blinded his rage made him.

He had put on a front for the Avengers, that he didn't plan on letting down anytime soon. In all honesty, he barely remembered the attack on New York. He also could not remember what had happened to him between falling from the Bifrost and waking up from the Hulk's attack. He remembered becoming aware of his surroundings while being flung about by the green monstrosity. He tried to will his mind to fill in the missing pieces to no avail. The last thing he really remembered was killing Laufey, failing to destroy Jotenheim, and the look on his father's face as he dangled from the Bifrost.

He hated his father and his brother for their stupidity. How could they ever understand his plight? Thor was the golden boy; the one everyone loved and could never live without. Loki was the outcast. He mentally chided himself for not figuring out the truth of his parentage earlier. He always had felt different from Thor and Odin, but finding out he was a Frost Giant was too much. For his entire life, he had been told stories of the war with Jotenheim, Odin's victory, as well as the Asgardian views of the Jotun kind. He could not believe that Odin had allowed him to grow up alongside them, knowing the entire time that he would find out someday. What did he expect?

While his plans to destroy Jotenheim and kill Laufey were half driven by Loki's rage at his true heritage, they were also fueled by a strong desire to show that he was not the weakling that everyone thought him to be. As much as he hated his father, he still longed for his respect and admiration. He wanted to be entrusted with ruling the kingdom and leading the family in the same way that Thor had been throughout their lives. He wanted Odin to give him the same time and attention he had given Thor. All those battle strategy lessons and training exercises the two had done together, leaving Loki alone to practice magic or cause mischief. Deep down he just wanted the same things that the people around him took for granted.

He was so deep in thought, he had not noticed the presence of another person until they were speaking his name.

"Loki?" a voice full of concern and empathy echoed in the small room. He knew right away that it was Frigga. Who else would still care about the Jotun prince?

Loki could not reply, he just kept his eyes closed, not wanting to see the look on his mother's face. He still viewed Frigga as his mother, and still cared for her, as she was the only one who showed him the respect and love he longed for from the other Asgardians. He rolled away from her, wanting nothing more than to disappear into the floor.

"Leave us." She said to the guard standing watch outside of Odin's chambers. The guard looked surprised at her request. His eyes grew wide and he looked from Loki to Frigga, as if silently asking her if she was sure of her request. She sent the guard an icy stare, giving Loki's a run for its money. She motioned for him to leave again and he reluctantly left his post.

Once she was alone with her son, she took the time to study him. His green armor was scratched and damaged and he still wore many cuts and bruises from his attack on Midgard. She noticed the dark circles under his eyes and his unusually pale skin. She sat down next to him, still silent and placed a hand on his arm. He flinched when she made contact, not used to being touched by another person. He opened his eyes and met her gaze. She did not look angry. She had the same loving expression she had always shown him. His eyes looked tired, and she saw sadness in them, sadness that she had never seen before.

She saw the cuffs that held Loki's feet and wrists together, and gasped. The ones around his ankles had begun to wear the leather around his boots due to their tight grip on the leather. She then studied the marks on his wrists. The cuffs looked like they were cutting off his circulation. Loki said nothing, but he didn't have to. Without a word Frigga closed her eyes and concentrated. Loki knew she was using magic, but for what he was not sure. Within seconds he could feel the cuffs loosen. While they did not come undone completely, he was now able to move more freely.

Loki watched his mother, the glow of her magic wearing off. He studied her, his eyes full of questions, almost glad his muzzle prevented them from spilling out. She just smiled and placed a hand comfortingly on his cheek. He could feel tears forming in the corners of his eyes and he blinked, trying to hide them.

"Shhhh." Frigga said quietly, trying to keep Loki's emotions in check. She knew what was coming, and she knew that it would be the hardest thing she would ever have to do, perhaps in her entire life. Not only would she face having to watch one son suffer a lifelong punishment, but she would have to watch the other find out one of their family's most hidden secrets, that he was not the only Odinson.

This one was another short chapter, I was just in the mood for some good Loki feels, and I felt like his relationship with Frigga would be an interesting thing to write about. More to come, hopefully soon.


	5. Chapter 5 A Conversation with Odin

Author's Note: I'm not really all that knowledgeable about Norse mythology, but I was reading one of the story wiki's and got an idea… so props to anyone who might know where this is going and I have totally taken a lot of liberties so… be generous with me… Anyway. This is just a short chapter; any feedback will help me figure out which way to turn this story. I have a bunch of different versions of the rest of this chapter floating around in Microsoft office ahaha…

Again – I don't own any of this. Just for the funzies.

"Liam Odinson?" Thor questioned, looking skeptically at Odin.

Odin sighed heavily. If it wasn't hard enough explaining the truth about Loki, now he had to explain to Thor the truth about his brother. "He is…Odin began. "He was…" Odin paused, not knowing how to explain.

Thor looked uncomfortable; like there was something he wanted to say but could not find the words. "Shouldn't Loki hear this? As he" Thor motioned to Liam "is also Loki's brother?"

"Loki has no business being here. He has disgraced the Asgardian people, disregarded his place in this family, and cast himself off." Liam explained, completely disregarding Loki.

At this point, Thor felt it was his place as a brother to defend Loki. "Father," Thor protested, throwing Mjolnir onto the ground causing the walls of the palace to shake. "Loki knows not what he is doing. He is out of control! I will not tolerate this so called brother to speak of him in that way," Thor screamed, his blood boiling.

"NO." Odin boomed his voice much louder than he wanted it to be. "Loki cannot know," Odin began, stumbling with his words. Thor was surprised to see his father fumbling about. He had never seen him like this, not since … the incident.

"Are you ever going to tell this story?" Liam chimed in, interrupting the awkward silence that had fallen upon the room.

Thor stared incredulously at the man. If anyone anywhere knew anything it was to never interrupt Odin, even if he had stopped speaking. You waited until you were spoken to unless you were in the royal family. This boy standing in front of him must have been out of his mind. He almost reminded him of Tony, but not in a lovable kind of way. "Do not interrupt." Thor said harshly, glaring at Liam.

"Enough." Another voice interrupted, causing everyone's attention to be diverted to the door. There stood Frigga.

"Thor, please listen to Odin. He has much to tell you. Much has happened since your journey to Earth. Once you tell him," Frigga began, resting her hands gently on Thor's shoulders. "You will tell Loki. You will tell him everything. He is waiting outside." The look in Frigga's eyes sent chills down Thor's spine. He rarely saw his mother angry, let alone angry with Odin. She did not wait for a response, turning quickly and exiting Odin's chambers.

"Yes… Loki" Odin said to himself as he watched Frigga exit.


	6. Chapter 6 Dreams or Memories?

Author's Note: So… this is the next chapter, I struggled with this, but I'd like to give a shoutout to my awesome friend Wendy who has been such an amazing help with writing. She's my sounding board when I run into a wall. Also – shout out to Amba who helped me specifically with parts of this chapter. And of course also to my best friend Caitlin, who as my awesome beta has provided much support and advice with this story!

And now to the writing:

* * *

A few weeks after the events of Thor:

"No, no, I am not! – Stop!" Liam tossed and turned in his sleep, waking himself up in the process. He stood up, running his hands through his hair. His whole body felt tired, unrested from his nightmarish sleep. He had always suffered nightmares, but lately they were more real than ever. At least three times a week he would wake abruptly, heart racing, drenched in sweat.

He did not understand what his dreams meant. He often dreamt of a large city that appeared to exist in the sky somewhere. In his dreams he spoke with various people, all dressed in strange garb. Despite the oddity, when he was dreaming it seemed normal. Everyone including himself wore outfits made of leather and metal, with helmets, shields, and even spears.

When he was younger he would dream of playing with children dressed in these costumes, sparring outside in a courtyard or eating at a royal dining room. He always had siblings in his dreams, as well as many friends and acquaintances. He always figured that he had created these people in his dreams to fill the void he often felt being part of a small family. Liam dreamed of having brothers or sisters, or even aunts and uncles. He lived as an only child with a working mother and father who were rarely home.

As the dreams would progress, he would be placed at odds with one or more of his siblings, and eventually in almost all of them he would either be attacked or killed. Right as the death would occur, he would wake up, out of breath, exasperated, and scared. As a young child, his death always was an accident. One of the other children got too close with a dagger, or hit him too hard while fighting. As he got older, the deaths became more violent. In the most recent dreams, he would see one man, dressed in green that would always find new and unusual ways to torment Liam. He knew the gentleman, but could never remember his name. Come to think of it, in his dreams he seemed to know everyone, yet never addressed anyone by name. They addressed him, but the name was unfamiliar. He would always try to remember it, but by the time he would be focused enough to start piecing the dreams together it would always slip away.

Tonight, he had been dreaming of a conversation between himself and two men. One seemed to be a father figure, but he was unsure who the other figure was. He recalled the two men urging him to be vigilant, as they felt someone was after him. He couldn't help but feel as though the one man, who wore a red cape, was related to him somehow. He felt a strong connection to him, one that he could not explain.

Knowing that trying to go back to sleep was useless, Liam left his bedroom and wandered outside of his apartment. As an ex military man, he had traveled the world, and lived in many places, but nothing compared to being home sweet home. He lived in the heart of New York City and he loved being able to go out in the early morning to jog. It was his favorite time to be out, as it was before the morning rush. It was just about 5AM as he began to jog. The cool morning air felt good on his face has he ran, trying desperately to forget the nightmares and fill the void.

"The suspect has just left his apartment sir," A man spoke into an earpiece, from his perch on a nearby rooftop. "He looks to be going on another morning jog, third one this week…"

"Keep me posted. Let me know if anything has changed. Fury will want to know everything."

"10-4. Over and Out." The agent began furiously documenting Liam's behavior and activity in a journal. Over the last month the man had gone running three to four times a week, his times decreasing drastically. It appeared that on every run he would go three miles, but his times were drastically reduced each time. It was almost super human.

* * *

Three Weeks Later: 

"Is that him?" Hawkeye asked Natasha, pointing at Liam as he ran past.

"Jeeze Clint, make it more obvious… it's bad enough you showed up in those clothes," she quipped, pointing out Hawkeye's poor choice in wearing his shield uniform and bringing his bow and arrows.

"Well it's not like I have an entire closet full of clothes to choose from… I'm not good at close range observations." He replied, studying Natasha's disguise. She dawned a pair of skinny jeans, a formfitting black top, and a pair of black and red stilettos. "How are you going to keep up with him in those?" He asked, mocking her choice in shoes.

"I'll be fine. You just worry about yourself." She replied coolly, as she walked past him.

The two were positioned outside of a Starbucks; Natasha sat, cupping her chin in her hands. "Sit down… we'll catch him as he loops back around. He always goes down to that corner store and gets water on his way back to his apartment. He should be back around here momentarily…"

As if on cue, they could see him running towards them.

Natasha positioned herself carefully, her foot just slightly extended. She sipped on a latte, appearing to be a casual pedestrian, enjoying her morning cup of coffee. Within seconds they could hear Liam's heavy breathing. He had what looked to be an iPod in his hand and was nonchalantly staring down at it as he was jogging. 'This is too perfect,' Natasha thought to herself. As he passed them, she moved her leg, causing him to stumble. With all the grace of a natural athlete, he managed to catch himself before falling.

"I am so sorry!" He exclaimed, out of breath from jogging. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine, my bad," Natasha said awkwardly. She stood up and smiled to show that she was okay.

"I'm Liam," He said and stuck out his hand.

"Pleasure," Natasha said coolly, shaking his hand. "My name is Natasha and this here, is Clint." She explained, motioning to her partner. "See here's the thing. Clint and I, we work for an organization called Shield, and we need you to come with us. We have a few questions about your… routine," she began, hoping Liam would simply take their invitation.

"Why, what for? I haven't done anything, at least that I know of… I have work, I really have to be getting home now," Liam lied, suddenly uncomfortable with the situation he found himself in. As he studied the two shield agents in front of him, his heart rate intensified. Looking closely, he could make out the impression of a gun holster under the woman's shirt and the man looked like he was also carrying what looked like a bunch of arrows in a satchel placed just within reach of his chair.

Liam began to sweat. With the dreams he had been having, and seeing these two 'SHIELD' agents, he felt uneasy. Something inside of him told him to run, so he did. He took off, almost knocking over a few innocent bystanders.

"Why can't people ever just make this easy…" Clint muttered to himself as he took off after the man. Natasha followed suit, wind ripping through her hair as she ran down the street. It didn't' take her long to catch up to Hawkeye. She barreled past him, her mind on a mission. She ripped something from one of her pockets and threw it at Liam. The devices hit him and appeared to momentarily stun him. He stopped for seemed only a second and his entire body glowed, a bright white light emerged quickly and dissipated.

Natasha and Clint looked at one another, astonished at what they saw. Any normal human would have been instantly knocked out of commission, but Liam seemed to power through the device's shocks. He put his hands on his knees to steady himself and within seconds was running again. Natasha couldn't believe what she had just seen. She looked at Clint who had his bow ready. With a flick of the wrist he launched a small arrow of sedative at the man, who was still running. Upon impact, Liam slowed, and eventually fell to the ground. Natasha kneelt down and felt his pulse. It was strong and steady. She nodded at Clint, who threw the man over his shoulder. Within minutes, they were making their way to a Shield vehicle where they were met with agents who escorted them to headquarters.

* * *

"What have you done to me?" an angry Liam shouted, presumably to himself. He was in a white room, wearing what looked to be a hospital gown. He could see his reflection in a large pane of glass that was in front of him. He had watched enough television shows to know that the device was actually a two-way mirror. He knew that he was being watched, and he hated it. He pounded his fists against the glass. "I demand to be let out of here at once!" he screamed.

"I know you're not pounding on my 2-way mirror," a voice boomed from a loudspeaker positioned on the room's ceiling.

"Why am I here?" Liam asked, looking around the room.

"Are you aware of an incident that occurred a few weeks ago in New Mexico?" A man with an eye patch asked as he entered the room.

"Yeah, it was all over the news," Liam began. "Some town got destroyed, something about some kind of alien robot, the government said it was some kind of test, that kind of bullshit…" Liam said with an eye roll. "I don't understand what that has to do with me."

"Well, I'll be honest and cut the bs… I'm Nick Fury and I lead the strategic homeland intervention enforcement and logistics division, labeled SHIELD for short… and we have been tracking unusual amounts of an unknown energy source coming from your apartment over the last few months. These energy sources are the same that we found in New Mexico after the… aforementioned incident." Nick explained.

"Well I don't know what that has to do with me, I'm just a normal guy," Liam felt goose bumps beginning to form on his arms and the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up. He watched Nick Fury remove a stack of photographs from a manila folder and place them out. He felt his stomach do a summersault as he looked at the first series of photographs. They were all of the man from his dreams, the one with the red cape.

Sensing the change in Liam's expression and body language, Agent Fury offered him a chair. "I'll give you some time to look this over." He explained, seeing the look in Liam's eyes.

"Who – who is this?" He asked, holding out a photo of Thor holding Mjolnir in the air. His hands were visibly shaking, his discomfort evident.

"His name is Thor. We think you are somehow linked to him, but are unsure how," Fury replied. "Do you know him?"

"No." Liam replied, almost too quickly. He began to leaf through the other photographs, becoming more and more uncomfortable as he began to recognize other people from his dreams. He saw a woman with a large sword, a larger man eating what looked like a hamburger, and what looked like an Asian man wielding a small arsenal of knives. He felt as though he knew the people, but couldn't place them. He rubbed his face with his hands, closing his eyes trying to concentrate. He almost had forgotten Fury's presence in the room. "Can I have a minute?" He asked the man harshly, as he ran his hands through his curly hair. "I just… I need a minute."

"Take all the time you need," Fury said as he exited the cell, leaving Liam surrounded by the photographs.

* * *

Liam had been so focused in trying to remember his dreams and trying to place the people in them that he almost did not hear the click of the door opening. He turned to see a woman. She was dressed in golden clothing and had long wavy blonde hair. "You must come with me now my son." She said urgently, reaching out to Liam.

"Who- Who are you?" Liam asked, his voice cracking awkwardly in fear of the strange woman.

"I, I am your mother. You must come with me now," She replied, taking his hand in her own. Instantly he felt a warmth wash over him, unlike anything he had ever felt before. He heard sirens going off and as he took the woman's hand, he was enveloped in a bright white light. The last thing he saw was the man with the eye patch running into the room and drawing a weapon. Before he could get off any shots, Liam felt the woman concentrate her energy at the man and saw him fly backwards. She had protected them with some type of magic. The next thing he saw was a large room with marble walls and floors accented by gold. He couldn't believe it. It was the room he had seen every night in his dreams…

* * *

Sooo what do you guys think so far? I wanted to give you a chapter about Liam, trying to set the stage for things to come… Props to anyone who can guess where this is going, reviews are ALWAYS appreciated! I would love some feedback!


	7. Chapter 7 A Hint of Truth

Title: A Hint of Truth…

Author's Note: Okay, I'm going to admit, work has been keeping me super busy but I am trying to piece this together during evenings and weekends and whenever time permits. Thank you so much for all the reviews so far guys! : o )

Kudos to Red of the X for being my 10th reviewer! Keep them coming!

Potkanka – Nope, his real name is not Liam, and sorry the ending was abrupt, I just didn't' want to start the next part of that storyline quiet yet… More information will be coming about "Liam's" appearance on Midgard. I have some more Frigga moments in the future, I find her very difficult to write, so I'd be very interested to hear your feedback for this next chapter.

Raccon Girl – Liam isn't supposed to be unpleasant, at least not yet. I really enjoy when there's a lot of background for the characters… A lot of times I don't believe that the villains or the 'unlikable' characters in movies or tv are really bad by nature… they are just misunderstood. Liam's circumstances will become more clear in subsequent chapters.

Susan M. M – Thank you for your review, I think of all Loki's family, he is/was closest with his mother, in a way that he could never just throw away. I watched the deleted scenes on the blu-ray of him and Frigga when he becomes King; they have a bond that I don't think Loki would be able to reject.

I am going to apologize now; this chapter is kind of my version of a MEANWHILE chapter… A lot of filling in time blanks… It starts with what Natasha and Clint were doing back in chapters 1 and 2 when they were not with the Avengers. And it will continue with what Liam is doing in Asgard with Frigga (before Thor and Loki have returned)

Back at SHIELD:

"Does anyone know any more about the incident from last week?" Dr Fury barked into his radio. "I know with the recovery of New York City and the aftermath of Loki's invasion there's a lot going on, but I don't want you to forget about our disappearing friend. Hawkeye I need your eyes open and locked on the horizon in case our friend returns."

"Sir don't you think his disappearance and Loki's appearance and subsequent attack might be related?" Hawkeye replied as he hopped down from his perch.

As if sensing his location, Natasha Romanov entered the room. Fury sighed heavly and rubbed his brow. "So you're both here… I thought one of you was still floating at Stark Tower," Fury began, directing his statement at Agent Romanov.

"I – We both were planning on going back to Stark tower, the Avengers went out to help civilians in New York," Natasha replied, trying to hide the fact that she did not exactly want to part ways with the Hawk.

"Hey Tash, remember that guy from last week, the one that disappeared with that woman?" Hawkeye asked, directing his attention away from Fury. "Did Loki say anything during your time with him in interrogation that might link the two of them? It's awfully suspicious…"

"He didn't say anything I would say connects the two, although my dealings with him were brief. He was more concerned about my past…" The look on her face made Hawkeye think she had more to say than that, but he let it go, as they were not alone.

"What about Thor, he might know, has anyone thought to ask him?" Director Fury asked, re-entering the conversation.  
"Director, Thor has a lot on his plate right now. He is leaving for Asgard with Loki tomorrow and I mean, was this Liam guy really a threat?"  
"Whether he is or is not a threat is not your concern Agent Romanov. We can't be sure of his… of Liam's true intentions. Both of you stay with the Avengers, and see what you an figure out. Keep your eyes open." Fury snapped.

"Liam, I am your mother;" Frigga began, not knowing how to explain the truth to her son.

"I- my mother… I-" Liam choked, not knowing where to start. He was still in shock about his new surroundings and how familiar they were to him. "I, I was adopted, my – my parents live in New York… Where…. Where am I?" He asked, as he stared up at the golden walls and ceiling around him.

"You Liam," Frigga pronounced his name awkwardly as if it pained her. "You were born a leader, a citizen of Asgard. This is where you grew up." She began, choosing her words carefully. She wanted to hint at the truth, and eventually gradually break the full story to her son.

"I've never been here," Liam replied, becoming uncomfortable. "I grew up in Brooklyn, I roamed the streets as a teen, got into trouble, cleaned myself up, turned it around… My dad split when I was three or four, my mom tried to make it work, I ended up in foster care, from one home to another… I –"Liam was talking so quickly Frigga could barely understand all of it. From what he said, it sounded as though Midgard had dealt him a rough life. Nothing like the one he lived in Asgard. How could she hope to explain the truth to her son?

"Frigga!" A voice called out, followed shortly by the appearance of a woman. She was beautiful, perhaps one of the most beautiful women Liam had ever seen. He bowed as she came up to where he and Frigga were sitting. She looked at him, and a strange expression fell onto her face. She looked at Frigga, wanting an explanation.  
"Yes Sif?" Frigga asked, as she turned to face the valiant warrior.

"Thor has found him. He has gone to Midgard after Loki." She replied. "The Warriors Three and I are getting ready, if we hear Thor's call we shall follow." She replied, drawing her attention to Liam. "Who is he?" She asked bluntly.

"He…" Frigga began.

"I know you. You're the lady, the one from my dreams," Liam began, not knowing how to explain the eerie feeling that he knew and had spent time with this woman.

"I do not know you," She replied, becoming uncomfortable. Her hand reached to her hips, where she kept one of her prized knives.

"No Sif," Frigga begged, placing her hands protectively over Liam. You… you don't realize who this is.. You can't," Frigga explained. "You were only five or six when it happened…" Frigga put her hand over her mouth, realizing that she had said too much.

Sif knelt down, deep in thought. She looked at Liam, an uncomfortable feeling in her gut.

"Is he…" She began.

Frigga nodded, knowing that Sif had figured it out… "But he… he's … how is he alive?" She replied, her hands shaking. She fell backwards, crawling away from Liam.

"Who am I?" Liam asked. "I-… I've been here before," He began. "But … not as I am now… I was young, but… it was only a dream. It was a dream!" Liam exclaimed, as if he was trying to reason with himself.

"It was more than a dream. You were born an Asgardian, and your death was the biggest tragedy our realm has ever faced." Frigga explained.

"What do you mean my death?" Liam replied uncomfortably. "I'm … I'm still here," He said, as he patted his arms, shoulders, and chest, as if checking to see if he could still feel. "I didn't die… unless this is heaven… then maybe I did…"

"No. You were reborn on Midgard. It took a lot of magic, but our gatekeeper found you. At first I wanted only to see you, to see that you were happy. When he allowed me to look down upon Midgard to see you, I saw those people taking you… I could not watch you die again." Frigga said, the pain evident in her voice. Since his death she had never forgiven herself.

"You…" Frigga said, placing her hands over her mouth. "Loki…" She looked from Liam to Frigga. "I can't believe it's you, you're B-"  
"FRIGGA," Odin's voice boomed as he entered the room.

"Leave us." He said harshly, as he shooed Sif and Liam out of the room. Sif took Liam's arm and dragged him out, hushing his protests.

Back at Stark Tower:

Tony and Pepper were lying in bed together, relaxing in their master suite. Tony had his phone out and was playing with the security footage. He pushed a few keys and projected the security feed from Loki's cell up on the television.

"Look at you," he exclaimed as he pointed at a recording of Pepper's daring rescue.

"What was I supposed to do?" They were gonna kill him in there," Pepper protested.

"Well you didn't have to be so nice," Tony replied, staring at the security tapes. "Look at you; you're acting like his mommy. You do remember that he's a war criminal, going home tomorrow to face punishment… he's not some victim, even though he acts like one." Tony said angrily.

"You're just angry that I never came back last night, even though you finished your work early," Pepper replied playfully.

"And that you didn't answer your phone… I wasn't dying or anything…" Tony replied with an eye roll. "You weren't even mad!" he said, pretending to be hurt.

"Well, if I got myself all upset every time you almost killed yourself, I'd never recover," she replied as she rested a hand on his chest. She pulled his face down and kissed him, in her own way reassuring him that she was his. "Now let's go to bed. Not all of us get our energy from an arc reactor." She said as she snuggled next to him. He sighed heavily and flicked off the television. "If you say so," he said, a mischievous smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Okay…" Pepper replied tiredly and the two of them disappeared under the sheets….

Fin for now… What do you think?


	8. Chapter 8 Revelations

**Author's note: Props go out to my best friend Caitlin for fixing this story once again. I have had a lot of trouble writing lately and well… let's just say I think I made this story much harder than it had to be by jumping around a lot… SOOOOOO to resolve this, the next few parts of this will bring everything up to the present – so my apologies for any confusion that ensues. I wrote a bunch of stuff and I have broken what I wrote into chapters, which will be going up over the next few days… so… happy reading!**

**Thanks also to my friends Deanna and Wendy – constantly inspiring, and full of motivation and positive feedback! **

**Ok so here it goes – we are back in Asgard, and Liam is talking to Sif:**

* * *

"Wait, who was that?" Liam asked angrily as Sif practically dragged him out of the room.

"That is Odin, our King." Sif replied, "Now come on!" She said, giving him one last tug as the door shut behind them.

"What the hell is going on? Two days ago I was kidnapped by some weird earth organization and then whisked off to god knows where, kept in an isolation room for hours, then told that I have a mother and a family I know nothing about from some weird world…" Liam demanded, ripping his hand out of Sif's grip. She motioned for him to sit down on a nearby bench and began to tell him the story of his past life. "

"You were born, the second son of Odin. You had many siblings, but the two you were the closest with were Thor and Loki. Thor was your older brother and Loki…" Sif said his name with disdain, almost rolling her eyes as she spoke of him. "Loki was your younger brother…" She explained, not wanting to tell everything she knew. "Your given name is actually Baldr…"

"So… I have siblings?" Liam asked, a small smile tugging on the corners of his lips. He had always wanted siblings. "What do these siblings look like?" He asked. Sif hesitated, not knowing how to describe Thor and Loki.

"Thor has blond hair and blue eyes, he has always been a strong warrior, and he was given the color red and the weapon Mjolnir, a large hammer. He was the first-born son, and will become the rightful King of Asgard when the Alfather deems it time. Loki is the God of Mischief. He has dark hair and wears the color green. He is much smaller than Thor and is known for his trickery."

Liam took in all the new information, still slightly skeptical. How could he possibly come to believe that he was an Asgardian, reborn into life on Earth?

"How exactly was I reborn? I mean… I had a whole life on Ear… err Midgard as you call it?" Liam asked, raising an eyebrow at Sif.

"I do not know… We were sworn never to speak of your death. Your brother Thor grieved terribly for you, to the point at which he became unwell. To save him further heartbreak, the royal family asked the people of Asgard to make a promise, to never speak of it, especially to Thor. The only ones who have ever broken that promise were punished, placed in the Asgardian prison to serve a life sentence."

"Interesting," Liam replied, cupping his chin in his hands. "Did I have a color?"

"You were given the color red, like your older brother. You two were very close if I remember correctly."

"Was I close with this Loki? I mean… I get the impression that he and I were not close." Liam asked, feeling suddenly uncomfortable mentioning his younger brother. "I feel like we might not have gotten along, I have this strange feeling, but I cannot place it." He explained, rubbing his head.

"You and Loki fought a lot, and were often partnered during the duals, but I do not know if you truly got along in closed quarters." Sif sat down next to Liam and took his hand. "Did you have any other questions about Asgard?" She asked.  
"I…" At this point, Liam was staring off into space. "Will I stay here forever?" Not knowing his fate was driving him crazy. "I want to be able to visit home, to see my friends, this is all so much to take in," he said.

"Of course you will be able to visit Midgard, or at least I think you will. You should ask the Alfather or Frigga, I'd ask Frigga if I were you," Sif said with a smile. "Let me take you to your chambers and show you around the palace." She stood up and led him out, in search for the royal family's quarters.

* * *

"How could you bring him here?" Odin demanded, slamming his fist into his hand. "His death crippled our kingdom, and now you wish to just bring him back? He's spent too long as a mortal to ever fully understand life here," Odin nearly screamed.

"I could not just stand back and do nothing. He is my son." Frigga exclaimed, fire burning in her eyes. "I had to bring him back, to at least try. We shall hold a meeting, before the entire kingdom and explain what has happened. Thor is the only one who will need to be told, and as he is back on Earth rounding up Loki, we shall tell him once he has returned to us." At this point, Frigga was becoming desperate to convince the Alfather that Liam could adjust to the changes living on Asgard would bring. "He is your son." She added, her eyes shimmering fiercely.

"I know full well who he is," Odin said, softness returning to his voice. "How will this affect Loki?" He asked, "They never did get along…"

"Brothers fight," Frigga soothed, moving closer to Odin.

"I do think it was more than that… I mean Loki killed him once, and the way he is now… I just don't know if we should risk introducing them to one another… I mean… why did Loki do it in the first place?" Odin asked warily.

Just then, the two were jarred from their conversation by a loud thud. "Thor!" They both thought out loud. They looked at each other, and then towards the door to their room. Within seconds, it opened and their son came, bearing both questions and news regarding Loki.

_**Author's note – insert the scene between Thor/Odin/Frigga from chapter 2. **_

"_Father, what will we do-"  
"Silence." Odin exclaimed at Thor's outburst.  
"But-" Thor began, but stopped himself, not wanting to disrespect the Alfather.  
"You know not what you ask of me," Odin began. "He must be punished."  
"His mind father... he is ... he knows not what he is doing."  
"I must do something. Loki must be punished." Odin exclaimed.  
"How is he?" Frigga asked quietly, making her presence known.  
"He is being held on Earth mother,"  
Frigga sighed heavily. She missed her son and was worried for his safety. She went over to a mirror kept in the back of their study and used her magic. With it, she could see her son in his prison cell on Earth. From what she saw, it looked as though his sleep was not peaceful.  
"He sleeps, but with great discomfort" she said quietly watching Loki's chest rise and fall. She could see an expression of pain on his face and paired with the tossing and turning she feared her son was going through something terrible.  
"I will meet with the Asgardian justices tomorrow Thor, Loki's fate will be decided. You will bring him home." Odin looked at Thor and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I am counting on you, the future King of Asgard." he exclaimed.  
"Yes father." Thor replied taking a knee in front of Odin. "I will leave at once." He replied after bowing in allegiance to the King._

Once Thor had left, Frigga took Odin's hand in hers. "You must make this right,"

Odin looked at her apologetically. Despite his own misgivings, he knew not to question his wife's wisdom. "Yes, yes you are right," he sighed heavily, taking back his hand. "I shall speak with this Liam…" And with that, Odin was on his way to the boy's chambers.


	9. Chapter 9 Revelations Part Two

**Author's note: Two chapters posted at once – yeahh making up for lost time! Make sure you read chapter 8 (Revelations part one) before this one or it will probably not make sense! **

**Again apologies for any confusion, and also, apologies for taking so long to finish these chapters. And yes I said these *wink wink***

* * *

"So I see you found your chambers," Odin announced as he entered the room. "How much did Sif tell you?"

"A lot," Liam coughed uneasily. "She told me that my name is apparently Baldr, I have two brothers, and that you are Odin Alfather, and she showed me around the palace… And, she let me sleep here last night," Liam babbled, overwhelmed by everything Sif had shown him.

"So the people of Asgard will want to meet you, and they will probably wish to give you back your Asgardian name. How do you feel about that?" Odin looked at Liam, studying the boy closely. Liam felt small in his presence. While a part of him wanted nothing more than to return home, he wasn't afraid to admit to himself that he was a little afraid of admitting that to the king.

"Well," he began, not meeting Odin's eyes. "I told Sif that I wanted to be able to travel home, to visit friends, I –" Odin cut Liam off.

"Our methods of traveling between the realms are few and far between right now, but once our gateway is repaired, you are free to travel as you wish," Odin placed his hands on Liam's shoulders. "You shall meet your brothers in the coming days. Thor is on Midgard now, and he should be bringing Loki back soon. Heimdall can see them, I believe they should arrive home sometime today or perhaps tomorrow,"

Liam looked skeptically at Odin. "So, you can see things on Earth… that's how you found me, right? I … I told my, err Frigga that I dreampt of this place. My whole life I have had these dreams… I dreampt of my death, many many times on Earth."

"And how do you remember it?" Odin asked, motioning for his son to sit.

"I … it's different each time, but it almost always comes as an accident, from someone with dark hair and green eyes… every single time! But there are usually other people around when it happens… The woman, Sif? I think…she is usually there, along with another boy, with golden hair and a red cape. I am usually killed in some kind of battle or fight. When I was younger, my death always seemed accidental, but as I aged, the dreams would become more graphic, more … murderous and dark."

"You were killed in battle, by your brother. It was an accident, and it happened when you were children. Frigga foresaw your death, and cast a powerful spell. She cast a protection spell on you, which was supposed to prevent harm. She however neglected to include some plants, mistletoe in particular because she figured it could not harm you. When your siblings would spar with you, their daggers, swords, and blades would repel off of you, causing you no harm, so when Loki used his throwing knives in battle, he never would have expected them to kill you. What he did not know, was that the healers sometimes borrowed them to cut up ingredients for their potions. The night before your match, they had used them to harvest mistletoe. You were not protected from it, so the knives that Loki threw at you were lethal." Odin continued, telling Baldr of his death and the suffering of the Asgardian community. He explained that Thor was devastated and that Loki was withdrawn, and that Thor's memory was clouded in order to bring back his happiness. "

"Oh," Baldr replied dumbly, not knowing what else to say. "I'm glad I was close with one of my brothers… but what's the deal with Loki now? You said Thor had to go find him? Did he get reborn on Earth too?"

"No, nothing like that… He … he is troubled" Odin recounted Loki's fall from the bifrost and his time on Earth. "Loki found out he was adopted and did not take it well… he always felt inferior to his brother, and perhaps that is one of the reasons he did what he did… You see, he fell into the abyss and something dark corrupted him, channeling his rage, and causing him to act out. He attempted to take over Midgard, to rule it, as I rule Asgard. Loki I think… I think he wants to show me that he has what it takes, but does not know yet how to balance power, control, and leadership in a healthy way that will benefit the people he protects. He is powerhungry and vengeful, and must face punishment for his acts." Odin's eyes were glossy, and speaking of Loki's actions pained him greatly. Baldr could see this, and instantly disliked Loki. He couldn't understand how finding out he was adopted could turn him so easily. Baldr always wanted to be adopted. Growing up in foster home after foster home, anything had to be better than that. He did not look forward to meeting this Loki… but knew it was inevitable.

* * *

**Another author's note: now the story will pick back up at where it left off in Chapter 5, where Thor is being introduced to Liam… or should I say Baldr? – I apologize for the confusion… I made this way more difficult than it had to be… ;_;**

Thor stood there while Odin recounted the story of Baldr's birth, death, and subsequent return to Asgard. He couldn't believe that Loki had killed their brother, and that Frigga had used magic to make him forget. "Why did mother cast her magic on me?" Thor asked, not sure whether to be angry or sad.

"Your mother and I watched you suffer over the loss of your brother. You needed to be focused, and we missed your happiness. Seeing you as you were was too much for us." Odin hoped Thor would understand.

"That still gave you no right to do that," Thor roared, finally having a reason to understand Loki's anger towards Odin. "I almost can see why Loki is angry with you." He replied cooly.

"Loki's situation and your own are very different my son." Odin argued.

"I don't understand why, you lied to both of us."

"Yes, but you did not wage war on Midgard, kill thousands of people, and then harbor no feelings of regret." Odin replied, in a tone that implied no further discussion was intended.

"You and Liam were very close. His real name was Baldr. He is a little bit younger than you, but older than Loki. He died when you were a child, killed by one of Loki's daggers during a fight. Loki reasoned that it was an accident, but seeing his most recent behaviors, maybe it had a much deeper effect on him than any of us ever realized..." Odin said, trailing off. "But I have spoken with Baldr and am very glad that he is back with us… He does not remember his childhood here in Asgard… But we shall work with him, to familiarize him with our customs and traditions,"

Thor walked over to Baldr and looked at him closely. He shared the same golden hair, blue eyes, and similar facial features to Thor, but was much smaller, mortal size.

"If you are indeed my brother, you must understand… Loki, despite his actions is also my brother, and while we" Thor motioned to Baldr, "were no doubt close in our childhoods, I grew up with Loki, and I cannot turn my back on him." Thor began, placing his hands on Baldr's shoulders. "I am sorry for what has been done to you, and am glad mother has found a way to bring you back." Thor finished, bringing Baldr in for a hug. Baldr hugged back, unsure of how else to take Thor's statement. He was by no means interested in forging a relationship with Loki, but had a feeling that Thor would not take well to his disrespect of their half-brother.


	10. Chapter 10 Punishment

Author's note: Ok, so this is the next chapter, and I'm still kind of trying to figure this out. I had some things written and I have been re-tweaking them… I have a lot of ideas, almost too many for this story, which means I will have to save some of them for another perhaps… and perhaps a third… lots of feels going on in my mind… Anyway, now Loki's back, and this will bring us up to the present… This chapter picks up after Frigga's conversation with Loki a few chapters back…

And, thank you so much to those of you following this story and leaving me feedback! Any feedback anonymous or signed is always appreciated!

* * *

"The Alfather wishes to speak with you," one of the guards shouted at Loki. Loki stood up and straightened himself out. He walked into the throne room, his head held high. He would not let Thor and Odin put him down. He would fight. He knew that he would most likely be put to death for his actions upon Midgard, so he cared little to censor himself. He would not grovel or beg for forgiveness.

He knew no matter what Thor would love him, forgive him, and most likely start babbling about redemption. The thought made him sick to his stomach. He looked at Odin, and inwardly rolled his eyes. His not-father was not going to crack him. The only person who could even stand half a chance at getting him to crack was Frigga, but they had already had their exchange, or so he thought.

"Loki my son," Odin boomed. "What have you to say?"

Loki looked up at Odin and Thor, his eyes questioning their intelligence. Just how stupid were they, how did they expect him to talk with a muzzle…_ really_? He raised an eyebrow in question and Odin waved his hand, the muzzle disappearing.

Loki coughed, and brought his hand to his face, now realizing that his hands were free. He felt scars where the muzzle had been and cursed Odin.

"What have you done to me?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

'Loki," Thor exclaimed, taking notice of the marks that remained where the muzzle had been. "You did not tell me that it would do that," Thor growled at Odin, having yet another reason to be upset with the man.

At this point, Frigga entered the chambers. She took one look at Loki and glared accusingly at Odin. "Come." She waved to Loki to come forward. Loki hesitated. He was not a child.

"I said come forward," she repeated, her voice becoming cross. He stepped forward, not wanting to further upset his mother.

She placed a cool hand to his face, and Loki could feel an exchange of magic coming from her to him. He inhaled, taking in the energy and fell to his knees, intoxicated by the magic. He felt his face again and noticed his skin was smooth to the touch. He nodded in thanks to his mother and stood up again to face Odin.

"Odin has something he needs to tell you," Frigga said, a small smile on her face.

"Loki my son," Odin began again. "You and Thor are not my only children…"

Loki knew this. He knew Odin had hundreds of children; of course he and Thor were not his only two… Really there were three children Loki knew of well. Himself, Thor, and Baldr. To Loki's knowledge, Baldr had died when they were children; all thanks to him. He put his head down, remembering Baldr's death.

Loki had almost always hated Baldr. He could not remember a time when the two got along. Loki always felt attacked by their brother. Despite their age differences, Loki had always been the same height as his older brothers. He grew faster in childhood than them. Looking back, it probably had something to do with his frost giant parentage. He remembered that despite being as tall as Thor and taller than Baldr; he was much weaker.

Baldr and Thor were definitely the two meatheads of the family. They took after Odin himself, with his blond features, strong muscles, and battle hungry confidence. Loki however was much less muscular; he was more of a thinker. He excelled at school and learned magic, rather than strength and endurance. He had received the bulk of his education from Frigga, whereas Thor and Baldr had been schooled by Odin Alfather himself. The two older brothers often practiced fighting and participated in matches. They took classes on war and leadership, all to pave the way for the future. Loki's education was more based on spells, sorcery, magic, and strategy. Loki was trained to be agile, and quick witted, always with a trick up his sleeve.

"Your brother, Baldr," Odin began, pulling Loki from his thoughts. "He has re-emerged. He was found on Midgard and brought back to us." Odin, Thor, and Frigga studied Loki closely, looking for any sign of emotion.

"Loki," Baldr said, stepping out of the shadows. He looked from Loki to Odin, not knowing what else to say.

Loki looked at Baldr and studied him. While he no longer had his muscular body, Loki knew instantly that this man was telling the truth. As he was the God of Lies, he could always tell when someone was being genuine, but the man standing before him looked very much like Thor, just much smaller.

"So you are," he replied, not looking at anyone in particular. He focused in on Thor. "Just wonderful, I can continue living in the shade of everyone's greatness," he hissed, moving his gaze from Thor to Odin. "And to think, he is of mortal size.." he added snarkily.  
"Loki, I do not understand why you harbor so much anger," Frigga exclaimed, a pained look on her face.

Loki inwardly regretted his words. Seeing his mother like that was the only thing that made him feel bad for what he was about to do. "Apologies Mother," he began. "I grow tired of living in your shadow Thor. And now, Thor junior over there is back from the dead… It's like childhood all over again…" Loki did not want to sound like a temperamental brat, although he felt as though he did. His voice remained dry and hard, and his face, void of emotion.

"I forgive you," Baldr tried, after being punched gently by Thor.

"Getting him to pretend wont' work brother," Loki hissed, a mocking inflection in his voice at the word brother. "He doesn't remember, does he… he just knows that I killed him. An understandable reason to not like me I suppose…. Not that it was an accident or anything," Loki replied.

"I know of my death. And accident or not, I do not like you for what you have done most recently to my home…"

"Well, I had to take what was rightfully mine." Loki's voice was hard, not an ounce of regret.

"And for that, you shall be punished," Odin interrupted, drawing all eyes in the room onto him. "Son, you and Baldr bring me the tesserect,"

"Yes father."

"Frigga and I have agreed on a punishment for your brother here…" he explained. With a wave of the Alfather's hand, Loki was stripped of his battle clothing and reduced to mere mortal clothing. He looked down at his new clothing with disdain.

_How dare he reduce him to mortal clothing_… Before he could protest, Thor and Baldr had returned with the cube.

"Loki, your father and I have thought long and hard about a just way to punish you for your actions against the people of Midgard… We at first were not going to punish you. We don't want to make you suffer, but you need to learn the humility, the kindness, and the –" Frigga was interrupted.

"The understanding of other beings that will make you a great future King." Odin finished, raising his staff. "You, for whatever reason lack empathy for others, and I do not know where we went wrong," he continued. "Loki Odinson… I hereby banish you, I remove your powers, magic, as well as your stake to the throne. Only when you are once again worthy of your title may you return to Asgard." Odin boomed.

"Father!" Thor cried out, raising his arm in protest. "NO my son." He called, pushing Thor back.

Loki smiled. This was looking all too familiar… and even now, Thor got more respect than he. All Odin had said to him was Aarraargghh., at least Thor got a 'my son,' he thought with a snicker. The only good thing he could take satisfaction in, was Baldr's small size… He smiled, and chuckled, looking from Baldr to Thor. The look in his eyes was one of pure mischief. He had no fear of Odin or his punishment. He figured wherever he was meant to end up, he would either die in transit or on the realm…

* * *

He had no idea what was coming.

"At least let me say goodbye?" Thor begged, his blue eyes pleading with the Alfather.

"Quickly," he replied, pushing Thor to Loki. He hoped that Thor could reach him, and that maybe by saying goodbye, Thor could impart to him some knowledge that would help him…

"Loki," Thor began, taking his brother by the cheek. "Our father knows what's best… Please listen to him. I miss my brother, the one I grew up with… the one who I shared everything with, who shared things with me…" Thor's pleading was almost too much, but Loki held it together.

"Thor, even now you want what is best for you. We both know without me, where would you be?" Loki spat. "You think I will come back, to forever live in your shadow… I would rather die." He replied, turning away from Thor.

"_I would rather die…_" the words echoed in Odin's chambers, leaving an uneasy feeling upon the family.

"Open the portal," Odin called. Thor instructed Liam and the two twisted the tesserect's case together. They watched as Loki's form disappeared into space.

"Where are you sending him?" Thor asked.

"That is for him to find out." Odin replied cryptically and left his chambers.

* * *

Okay, so what do you guys think so far? Any suggestions? i have a few different scenerios lined up for where Loki's going, but any suggestions, thoughts, or comments would be lovely. Please review, it gives me so much inspiration to hear what you readers are thinking!


	11. Chapter 11 Midgard

**Author's note:** Okay, now we're in the present kind of – you will see. R&R Please! I do not own the Avengers, but I do own my characters… now it begins… mwahaha…

Shout outs & thank you's to Potkanka for the reviews, and of course Wendy and Caitlin for all the added advice and support as i've been piecing this together!

The next chapter will be more Loki feels… and really more Loki! This chapter is kind of the … introduction to what's goin' down on Midgard.

* * *

Loki felt himself falling, and then he felt nothing. When he opened his eyes, everything was pitch black. At first, he thought that he had died. That wouldn't have been the worst thing. The fallen God would have preferred it to having to face some form of redemption test. He cringed at the memory of his conversation with his 'family,' angry with himself for not putting up more of a fight. As angry as he was, his mother's presence had thrown him. He couldn't seem to hate her, at least not nearly as much as his father and Thor.

He shook his head slightly and groaned, as his eyes adjusted to his new surroundings. All at once the sounds and smells around him assaulted his senses. Loki was trapped under a bunch of debris and back on of all places, Midgard. He could hear people around him calling for help, moaning, and trying to talk to one another. He could smell what could only be described as the smell of death. He looked down and saw bodies, some looked alive, and others did not… When he focused his senses, he could hear workers outside trying to reach them.

"Are you all okay?" a man shouted into the rubble. Loki groaned, realizing that he was back on Midgard.

He squinted, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. It was at this point he realized that he was pinned, unable to move. His Midgardian clothing was ripped, and it appeared he was bleeding. Then he felt the pain. He winced, closing his eyes and cursing to himself. He looked to the source of the pain and found his arm pinned under the rubble. He tried to move and realized that he suffered more injury than just his arm. He had a gash on the side of his head and he felt blood oozing down the side of his face. He succumbed to the pain and everything slowly faded to black.

"Where did you come from?!" A friendly voice called to him. He opened his eyes slowly and a young girl came into focus. She was sweaty, her clothing torn, but she looked genuinely happy to see him. He had a puzzled look on his face, to which she touched his cheek. "I was trapped in some of the rubble on the other side of the building, but I managed to free myself… I'm a nurse. Are you alright?" She smiled warmly and wiped a piece of lingering hair out of his face.

Loki was stunned. He never expected to end up on Midgard again, or to need the assistance of a mortal woman. "I'm fine." He snapped, pulling away from her.

"I'm not going to hurt you," She said quietly, backing away. "The paramedics will get to us soon," She said and moved to another individual who was calling to her. "Just hold on." And with that, Loki had passed out again. Everything faded to black.

* * *

It was only a few days after the attack and parts of the city were still like ghost towns but the Avengers had been out in full force looking for survivors. Aided by shield, local police and fire companies had been able to save many people. Despite the severity of Loki's attack, rescue teams were still finding people left and right. Many of the survivors were trapped by falling debris, but by some stroke of luck were able to survive. Many had only minor injuries, thank goodness.

"Cleaning this up is going to be a nightmare," Tony said, looking over at Cap and Bruce. The three of them were sitting outside of a NYC Starbucks on a coffee break. They had been working around the clock to help the civilians clean up the remnants of Loki's attack. "Thor should be here… I mean after all, it was his brother…The two of them just had to come down here and play everything out… it really redefines Shakespeare in the park… And they nearly destroyed Stark tower!" Tony whined.

"Yeah well," Cap sighed heavily. "Your tower was ugly, and I mean… Thor probably has his own problems back home," Cap said, taking a sip of his coffee.

Bruce laughed at Cap's comment about Stark tower. He tiredly ran his fingers through his hair and took one last swig from his cup of coffee. "We should get going…" he began, tossing his cup into a nearby trash can. "I heard there was a building collapse over by that Schwarma joint we ate at after the battle… they had some survivors that were trapped" Bruce said, and shrugged off his jacket. The scientist had been using the "other guy" to help remove large pieces of debris and save people trapped throughout the city. To do this however was taxing. He inhaled deeply and channeled his energy. His fists clenched together and he slowly began to grow into the Hulk. "Hulk tired," he said as he walked with the other two men.

* * *

Ivy walked down the city streets, amazed at how empty they were. She had her camera around her neck and was snapping photographs left and right. She wanted to capture as much of the broken city as she could. She had been outshooting non-stop since the attack began. She had taken photos of the aliens, the Avengers, as well whom she thought was the villain responsible for it all.

She had one photo of him, wearing what looked to be a horned helmet. The person was turned around, but she could see him holding what looked like a large scepter. He had long dark hair and was wearing an intricate black outfit with a green cape. She sighed heavily as she turned a corner and nearly tripped over a Chitauri corpse. She yelped and jumped back, initially scared by the sight of the dead alien. Once she realized that the creature was dead, she began taking pictures of it. It had been stabbed by what looked like an arrow. "Who uses arrows anymore?" She muttered to herself as she snapped one last photograph.

"Excuse me, miss?" A man called to her, drawing her away from the alien.

"Yes?" She asked, turning to face a middle aged man in a black suit and sunglasses.

The man removed his sunglasses and gave her a slight smile. "I think you need to come with me," He said calmly, motioning for her to come. She hesitated, looking around. It was not until then that it became clear that she had been being watched...

* * *

"Help is here, it will just a little longer guys, hold on!" Tony called down to the people trapped under the debris. The Hulk began to slowly lift out large pieces of debris and move them out of the way. Cap helped by taking the smaller pieces out to prevent further injury to the people trapped below. Tony was in charge of flagging down the medical teams and getting them to their location. It was only about ten minutes before the debris was cleared away. The people could now easily free themselves and as a few of the uninjured emerged, Tony noticed a young woman. She was petite with brown wavy hair and the most striking blue eyes. If he didn't have Pepper, this girl would have perhaps been the love of his life. He shook his head, pulling himself out of his fantasies. If Pepper could only read his mind, she'd be killing him. Upon further observation, she looked as though she had been caring for some the other people. Tony watched as she began speaking to one of the police officers.

"There are twelve survivors that are unharmed," She motioned to the people who had just came out of the debris field. "There are also about fourteen more with minor injuries and there are three that need help getting out," She looked around and smiled when she saw Tony.

"You're Tony Stark!" she said as the man approached. She smiled and stuck out her hand. "I'm Elizabeth… I'm a big fan," She said with a toothy smile.

"The pleasure is all mine," he said as he took her hand and kissed it.

"Knock it off Tony," Steve said, as he walked into the conversation. He hated when Tony flirted with other women. He clearly had something going on with Pepper.

"This lovely man in the spandex-" Tony pointed to the super soldier with a mocking eye roll, "-is Steve, or should I say Captain America."

Cap smiled shyly at the woman, but not before shooting a look to Tony. How dare he make fun of the uniform.

"Elizabeth," the woman repeated her name with a smile. She giggled as a third man joined the group. Bruce had shrunk down and re-dressed into street clothes. "I'm Bruce, nice to meet you Elizabeth," he said and shook her hand. Of the three, Bruce looked the most normal.

"Were you the green…" Elizabeth paused, not knowing how to politely describe the hulk.

"Yeah, that was me… comes in handy sometimes, sometimes not as much," He said cryptically, his eyes seeming to glaze over.

"Well, you were very helpful today," She said with a smile.

"Thanks." Bruce said as he ran his hand through his hair. It was then that the three men noticed what she was wearing. "Are you a," He asked, pointing to her scrubs.

"Yeah. I'm a nurse at the local hospital," She replied, with a smile. "I've missed two shifts though," She laughed nervously.

"I don't think they'll mind ma'am," Cap said nervously, flashing an awkward half smile. He was obviously nervous. His cheeks were flushed and he stumbled over his words.

The four of them were interrupted by a police officer, "Ma'am, I thought you said there were three that needed help?" the policeman she had been talking to earlier asked, a confused expression on his face.

"There were! There was a girl who's leg had been caught, an older man who had been hit with debris and didn't think he could get up, as well as a younger gentleman who had what looked to be a broken arm and a head wound,"

"We got the older gentleman and the young girl, but there is nobody else here," he said shakily. "Where was this man?"

"He was," Elizabeth moved to show the officer the third man's location. She sat down on a piece of upturned cement and pointed. He was just over there, pinned between where the pavement and the ground meet, his arm looked to be pretty messed up,"

"Well, he's not here now, are you sure you didn't imagine it?"

"I don't think so… although it was weird, I didn't notice him there until much later, it was almost as if he appeared down there out of nowhere… but I mean that's not possible, is it?" She looked at the Avengers and back at the security guard.

The men just shrugged. There was no blood or footprints to suggest anything else, so they had nothing to go on.

"We were down there for awhile," Elizabeth said shakily… "Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me…"

"Let's get a look at you," Cap said, concern suddenly lining his features. It wasn't that he hadn't known this woman was a survivor, but by the way she talked and the energy she possessed, he had almost forgotten that she had been trapped with the others for so long. "I'm fine," She said, standing up.

"You sure?" Cap didn't even finish his question because he was racing to catch Elizabeth as she fainted.

* * *

**R&R Please!**

I'd also like to thank everyone who's followed the story so far!


	12. Chapter 12 He Lives

**Author's note:** Okay, so the part about our favorite shield agent is set to be happening at the end of the movie. Imagine this is what Nick Fury, Coulson, and Agent Hill are doing when the Avengers are all surrounding Loki (the very end)

* * *

Agent Coulson awoke slowly. He felt as though he had been run over by a truck. The last thing he remembered was being stabbed. In a panic he clutched his chest. He ran his fingers over where he remembered the scepter stabbing him, but found no open wound. He took in a deep breath, trying to piece together what had happened. He remembered talking to Fury, slowly their conversation replayed in his mind.

"_Just stay awake. Eyes on me!" Fury barked, kneeling down next to him. _

"_I'm clockin out here…" _

"_Not an option!" _

"_It's ok boss. This was never gonna work if they didn't have something to…" _

It was then that he remembered the battle, the hellicarrier, Loki, and the Avengers. He studied his sterile room and wondered if he was still up in the air. He looked down and noticed that he wore a hospital robe. His clothing had been folded over a nearby chair. He saw his shirt, a large circular bloodstain left where he remembered being stabbed. '_What the hell happened to me?_'he thought to himself. He had no stitches or obvious signs of trauma… He tried to stand up, until he heard a voice.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Director Fury announced as he entered the room.

"Director." Coulson nodded, acknowledging the man's presence. He sat back on the bed, pressing a few buttons to sit himself up. As the bed moved, Director Fury sat down in a nearby chair.

"You gave us quite a scare… but it was just what … what was needed to get the job done." Fury was never good at these 'heart to heart' conversations. He inhaled, ready to tell Coulson about his precious cards when Coulson interrupted him.

"You used the cards," Phil half asked, half stated, raising an eyebrow.

"Had to… they needed to believe it." Fury explained. "The only one who questioned it was Maria… She knew about the real set being in your locker…" Fury explained, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

Coulson breathed a sigh of relief. His precious cards were in fact safely tucked away in his locker. _'When did he have time to make fake ones? And why would….' _ His mind was racing, but he knew he had to ask only the important questions. Always the agent… "But Loki… he stabbed me, I felt it!" Coulson stated, still fingering the spot on his chest.

"No… It only looked like he did. When we got you to the medical station, there was no wound. Your shirt was soaked with blood, but it appears to all have been some kind of illusion. You were a distraction; a way out, simple as that. For whatever reason, Loki chose not to kill you." Fury explained.

"So… Everything has been handled?" Coulson asked, surprised. He wondered how long he had been out of commission. "How long have I been down?"

"It's being handled as we speak… Thor and Loki are now on their way back to Asgard… You have been unconscious for three days. " Fury explained.

"So what now?" he asked, not knowing what to do.

"You will return to work, but mostly civilian duty for a bit, just until you're back. Loki's magic is strong. We don't know the full effects of whatever he did to you." Fury put his hands in his pockets and sighed heavily. He placed his hand to his ear and mumbled something into his earpiece. "I'm needed out on the deck," He said, and with that he was gone.

* * *

"So with Thor being gone, what's the plan?" Cap asked, looking around the table. Across from him sat Stark, and at his left and right were Natasha and Clint. Dr. Banner was off to the side, making himself a cup of coffee.

"We keep helping to fix the city," Bruce said quietly, as he stirred his coffee cup.

"Well besides that… I mean, eventually the rubble and streets will be cleaned up. People are already starting to reopen businesses and move back into their homes… But what I'm really asking… or wondering, is that now being all over the news, we can't just disappear anymore…" Hawkeye countered, turning to face the doctor.

"In a few weeks something else will happen and you guys will hardly be news," Stark exclaimed, standing up from the table. "Check this out," he said, his enthusiasm overflowing. He waved his hands and a hologram came up, showing a tower which looked similar to the one they were currently in. "Stark tower 2.0, Los Angeles' newest landmark," he gloated, a smug grin lining his face. "Excavation starts next week. Should give the press something else to talk about."

Cap rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. Of course Stark was making another monument… Just one more way to feed his ego…

As if sensing the tension in the room, Stark added "But this doesn't mean I won't be around to help…" He grinned. "And whose billions do you think will be funding many of the teams rebuilding the city?"

"Sir, you have a visitor," Jarvis voice interrupted the conversation.

"We're a little busy," Stark said dismissively.

"He has overridden the security, and is on his way up in the elevator," Jarvis replied. "Well who is it?" Cap asked, standing up and looking towards the elevator. As if in answer to his question, the elevator doors slid open revealing a very familiar man wearing a black suit and sunglasses.

"Phil!" They all said in unison, standing and moving towards the elevator.

* * *

Loki sighed heavily as he leaned against the piece of debris trapping him in the pit. Pain shot through his arm and blood dripped from a cut on his head. He was unbelievably dizzy and in need of a healer. Moving made everything around him spin and the idea of getting away felt impossible but Loki knew he couldn't give up yet. As if sensing his need to stay focused, a voice caught his attention.

"Help is here, it will just a little longer guys, hold on!" _'I know that voice…'_ Loki thought to himself. "Stark…" he grumbled, rolling his eyes with distaste. Loki could hear the others talking. He focused his energy on trying to free his arm. He knew he had to escape before that annoying mortal returned. While he knew she was trying to help, who was he to need the help of a mortal?

A loud grumble shook him from his thoughts. The pressure surrounding his arm was gone! With a smirk, Loki pulled his arm free from the rubble around it as the Hulk pulled a piece of debris out of his way. 'Stupid beast,' he thought menacingly as he slithered away into the shadows.

* * *

"I don't understand what it is that you want with me," Ivy argued as she watched four Shield agents rip through her camera bag.

"It's not you, Miss…" The man with the sunglasses stepped forward to introduce himself. "My name is Agent Phil Coulson and I work for the strategic homeland intervention enforcement and logistics division… You can call us Shield. We need to apprehend your photographs, as they contain classified information… Are there any other copies?"

"I- this was all over the news, I don't see how my photographs contain classified information," Agent Coulson gestured for Ivy to follow him, and escorted her over and then into a dark vehicle. "Are you going to kill me?" She asked, suddenly afraid to step into the SUV not knowing what the men would do to her.

"No no, nothing like that." Coulson reassured, as he stepped into the car next to her. Another agent handed him Ivy's camera bag.

"We found an address in her bag…. Looks like it's nearby the NYU student apartments…" The other agent said to Coulson.

"Says here she's from Pennsylvania…" Phil said as he skimmed his finger across what looked like a piece of glass.

Ivy could see what looked to be her driver's license photo along with information.

"I am staying, or umm I was staying with friends… I went out looking for them after the attack… I am not from the city," She replied nervously as she ran her fingers through her long dark hair.

"We are asking that all non essential personnel evacuate the more severely damaged portions of the city, and I believe your apartment complex fell in the line of fire… Shield and the United States Armed Forces are helping to relocate families… Do you have transportation?" Coulson asked as the car pulled up to what remained of the apartment Ivy had been staying in.

"Shit…" she mumbled as she looked out the window. She was so engrossed in thought that she had not realized the car had been driving to her friends place.

"This… it didn't look like this when I left…" She croaked; shocked to see the remains of the place she had been staying. It appeared as though another building nearby had collapsed onto her friend's apartment, making the place almost unrecognizable.

"These agents will help you collect what is left of your belongings and get you a ride out of the city," Phil said as he opened the car door and stepped onto the street.

"What about my –" Ivy was silenced.

"I think this should take care of it," Phil said and handed Ivy a check.

"I don't want your money… I just want my-" Ivy looked down at the check, becoming silent when she saw the amount. "What is this?" She held in her hands a $5000.00 check.

"It should compensate for your equipment." Phil said and handed Ivy her empty camera bag. Ivy took it, dumbfounded.

"This is…." She began, not knowing what to say. While part of her wanted her own camera back, she couldn't argue with a check that large. Her camera was worth at most maybe a thousand dollars, but a five thousand dollar check? "Who are you?"

"Like I said ma'am, we work for SHIELD." Phil stopped and reached into his suit pocket and removed a small business card. "If you need anything, anything at all, here's a number you can reach," He said with a smile and handed it to Ivy.

* * *

Author's note 2: Okay - I took this down and re-posted with some of the dividers... Sorry the Loki part is so small... but I did want to get him in the chapter ;) I will be resuming this story shortly... things lately have been crazy and with the holidays... Let's just say pneumonia, the flu, holiday shopping, and work have been keeping me kind of occupied... Apologies to my readers & thanks to Potkanka for the review! :) Hopefully it isn't too bad. I was kind of delirious when I was writing parts of it. Ha ha… I will definitely finish this story, just maybe not in as timely a manner as I anticipated over the summer :/ Apologies! And thanks again for my loyal readers!


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